Efficacy and Duration of Trunk-Injected Imidacloprid in the Management of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (<i>Adelges tsugae</i>)

Abstract Hemlock woolly adelgid ( Adelges tsugae ) (HWA) is an introduced piercing, sucking insect that affects hemlocks ( Tsuga spp. ) by extracting carbohydrates from the xylem ray parenchyma cells. Left untreated, HWA will result in reduced shoot growth, branch dieback, and ultimately tree death. In this study, the insecticide IMA-jet (5% imidacloprid w/w) was applied by trunk microinjection with the Arborjet Tree I.V. using the VIPER method. Sixteen randomly selected HWA-infested hemlocks were treated in 2002 and 2003 and eight trees were selected as untreated controls. Eight infested branch samples per tree were cut each year (2003, 2004, and 2005) and assessed. Four parameters were used to assess the efficacy and duration of treatments. These were percent HWA mortality, total and live HWA per linear centimeter shoot growth, and current-year shoot growth. The eastern hemlock ( T. canadensis ) in this study had high initial HWA pressure. In the 3 years of the study, winter low temperatures were insufficient to cause an appreciable or sustainable reduction in infestation levels. In the controls, HWA increased and hemlock growth decreased. Treatment with stem-injected imidacloprid did not provide a quick knockdown of the HWA; rather, it required time (i.e., at least 1 year). In the year after a second treatment, we observed sufficiently high HWA mortality for hemlock to resume growth. We have a high degree of confidence that a repeat treatment increased the levels of imidacloprid for the duration of efficacy observed. We recommend a 2× dosage (e.g., for trees in the 30 to 59 cm [12 to 23.6 in] size class, increase from 0.08 g A.I. to 0.16 gm A.I./cm trunk diameter at breast height [dbh]) for an increased level of efficacy to extend the injection interval (to once every 2 years) and to limit the number of wounds a tree receives to centimeters dbh/5 (dbh in/2). The new rate recommendations are reflected on the IMA-jet label amended in 2006. These results demonstrate that hemlock with high HWA pressure can be successfully treated using IMA-jet and the Arborjet Tree I.V. system.