Question. I’m looking for an inexpensive, environmentally safe way to get rid of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Aphid. Hopefully it will be easy to apply and with no toxic residue. Maybe something organic?
Woolly adelgid aphids have become a major problem throughout north america. They’ll readily infest a wide range of trees and shrubs and they’re damage will lead to plant death if left untreated.
WHAT IS A WOOLLY ADELGID?
Wooly adelgids are a type of aphid. They’re quite small and appear as a small amount of cotton; kind of like a piece of fuzz. If given the chance, adelgids will literally suck the life out your host plant and populations can explode in as little as one season.
Here’s a closeup picture of one walking on a pen.
Wooly adelgids are easy to miss but to most people, will appear to be some kind of “fungus” when first noticed. The easiest way to tell if its a fungus or an adelgid is to simply shake the tree limb. If the “fungus” starts crawling around, you’ve got a problem that needs to be treated.
ORGANIC WOOLY ADELGID SPRAY
For vegetable gardens, MULTI PURPOSE INSECT KILLER does a good job of eliminating this pest. Treat once a week for two weeks and the problem should be resolved.
Mix 6 oz per gallon of water and distribute the mixture over approximately 500 sq/ft of plant foliage for fast control. Do the treatments in early evening before dusk. This insures no stress for the plant and maximum effectiveness for the treatment since it will get to sit overnight without direct sunlight exposure.
BEST WOOLY ADELGID SPRAY
For any kind of evergreen or hardwood, use MAXXTHOR EC. This fast working active will knock out the adelgid instantly and its penetrating solvent system insures it will cover all nooks and cracks where they might hide. Treatments with this mix will last 3-6 weeks but if you see activity in 1 week after your intial application, it means you weren’t thorough or used enough so spray again.
The following “short video” (less than 60 seconds long) shows how to apply it using our Green Topped Hose End Sprayer:
For infested trees, mix 1/2 oz of Maxxthor per gallon of water and try to cover as much of the active areas as possible. 1 mixed gallon can cover up to 500 sq/ft of foliage and should be plenty for trees 30 feet or less.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO TREAT FOR ADELGIDS
Any of the sprays listed above can be applied with a standard PUMP SPRAYER. Our sprayer can hold 1 gallon and when pumped up to a high pressure, it can spray up to a height of 15 feet.
If you need to reach higher than 15 feet, get our GREEN TOPPED HOSE END SPRAYER. Using the power of your garden hose, these sprayers can usually reach upwards of 30 feet or more depending on your local water pressure. The rule to follow here is simple; however high your garden hose will reach, so too will our sprayer.
Lastly, if you don’t feel like pumping and pumping a regular pump sprayer or if you need to reach high parts of the home, consider getting one of our NO PUMP SPRAYERS. This unique sprayer is simple yet very good, easy to use and one of our “favs” for applying insecticides to your homes exterior and landscape (its too powerful for use inside).
Ideally suited for reaching heights of 40+ feet, it has no moving parts other than the valve you hold for spraying and the adjustable brass “bullet” nozzle.
This sprayer is essentially a tank that can hold water, chemical and up to 130 psi of air. The top lid has a clamp and rubber gasket that seats on the “inside” of the sprayer so as you fill it with air, the seal will naturally remain in place, nice and tight.
The following video shows how this unit sprays:
The top has 3 “ports” (pic below). The port to the far left is used to fill the tank with air. Using any electric air pump (the kind you would use the fill tires on your car), you can safely pressurize this sprayer up to 80 psi. The tank is rated for up to 130 lbs but the relief valve will only allow you to fill it to 80-90 psi before it starts to release. This happens as a safety precautionary action.
For normal use around the home, 50-60 psi should be enough for you empty the liquid from the 2.5 gallon tank assuming you only add 1 gallon of mixed product. True, the sprayer can “hold” 2.5 gallons of liquid but you need room for the air. Our tests show that 50-60 psi will pump out an entire gallon of spray allowing you to reach 25-30 feet heights.
For reaching 40+ feet or higher targets, pressurize the sprayer to 80 psi and again, mix up only what you plan on using and no more than 1 gallon of mixed solution at one time so the tank has enough room left to store all the needed “air”. One charge of 80 psi is enough to get the entire mixture to spray out so you don’t have to be concerned about constantly recharging.
The 5 GALLON NO PUMP can hold over 2 gallons of mixed material and can perform equally as well.
Remember, YOU WILL NEED AN AIR COMPRESSOR POWERFUL ENOUGH TO FILL THIS SPRAYER!! WE RECOMMEND ONE THAT CAN DO AT LEAST 100 PSI.
SYSTEMIC TREATING FOR WOOLY ADELGIDS
For the ultimate adelgid control, use PROTHOR once a year as a systemic. This type of treatment relies on the active getting distributed to the plants foliage. Once in the plants sap and green growth, anything feeding on it will die within a few days. This option will yield the longest lasting results and over time, the easiest to do. Treatments made in February through March will usually last the entire year and protect the plants for whole season.
Use .1 to .2 oz per inch of tree width so for a tree with a 10 inch wide trunk, you’ll need 1 oz added to 2-3 gallons to be used as a soil drench around the base of the tree. Do this by making holes in the ground inside the trees drip line and adding the Prothor to water in a 5 gallon pail. Fill the bucket with 3-4 gallons of water, add the chemical and then slowly “pour” the mixture into the holes make sure it has time to soak in.
Within 4-6 weeks, the treatment will reach up to the very top of trees you can’t otherwise spray and in turn, kill off any adelgids or other pests.
CONTACT US
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