The balsam woolly adelgid, a species introduced from Europe, was first reported in Canada in 1910, in southern Nova Scotia. ), was accidentally introduced to North America from Europe.The adelgid is an inconspicuous, aphid-like pest that appears as white, woolly masses about 1 mm long on the bark. This advanced fact sheet describes balsam woolly adelgid, a tiny sucking insect that is a serious pest of true firs in forests, landscapes and in seed and Christmas tree production. Heavy adelgid infestations may cover the entire trunk. BWA is an introduced pest of true firs that has spread throughout the southern half of … Invasive Species - (Adelges piceae) Watch List Balsam woolly adelgid is a sap-feeding insect that attacks true fir trees, including balsam fir and Fraser fir. has been very abundant in the last several years in Maine and feeding activity by this pest has resulted in serious injury to or death of large volumes of balsam fir. This insect was introduced from Japan to Virginia in the early 1950’s and has since spread north to Maine and south to Georgia. Balsam woolly adelgid is an important pest of true firs in B.C., the Atlantic Provinces, and the northeast and northwest United States. Repeated attacks weaken trees, cause twig gouting, kill branches and, over the course of several years, cause trees to die. What is at risk? A provincial regulation has restricted the movement of true firs within B.C. White or grayish cotton-like masses, inside which are the purplish-black insects, can be found on the twigs, branches, or trunk. This basic fact sheet describes balsam woolly adelgid, a tiny sucking insect that is a serious pest of true firs in forests, landscapes and in seed and Christmas tree production. Why we care: Balsam woolly adelgid (BWA) is a sap-feeding insect that attacks true fir trees, including balsam fir and Fraser fir. Repeated attacks weaken trees, cause twig gouting, kill branches and, over the course of several years, cause trees to die. The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is a small aphid-like insect that feeds on hemlock (Tsuga spp.). It includes a description of tree injury and symptoms, life history and identification, monitoring, management, and implications to … It’s important to recognize this … with the intent to reduce the risk of balsam woolly adelgid spreading into the Interior of the province. Unfortunately, these insects are polyphagous and unreliable as control agents (Adam and Ostaff 2006). In Canada, the balsam woolly adelgid is not limited by any known entomopathogenic parasites, but it is preyed on by many predaceous insect species. Though balsam woolly adelgid is not as much of a problem as it was in the past due to control of other pests, it can still damage and even kill trees. The balsam woolly adelgid feeds on the stems of true firs. This fact sheet introduces an invasive forest pest, the balsam woolly adelgid, and discusses its impacts on Utah forests, life cycle traits, identifying characteristics, control methods, and steps that Utah partners are taking to combat this pest.