Hemlock Woolly What?

Hemlock trees beware! The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid has invaded Greenville, SC. According to the Clemson Extension, Scott Carlson of Schneider Tree Care first noticed the pest on Paris Mountain about 2 years ago in very small quantities. Now the pest has spread to numerous Hemlock trees around Greenville County, even close to downtown. The pest started wiping out Hemlock trees in Virginia and North Carolina, and now out of necessity, has moved into South Carolina.

The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid damages and even kills Hemlock trees by sucking the sap out of the small twigs. Once the sap is gone, the needles turn brown and eventually fall off the tree. Trees need their needles to produce food for survival. If defoliation occurs too many times, the Hemlock will die.

Schneider Tree Care has been successfully treating Hemlocks in the local mountains and upstate. Don’t wait until it’s too late to take care of our Hemlocks. If you have Hemlock trees, call your local Arborist at Schneider Tree Care to check for the adelgid. In the meantime, if you notice small, white fluffy looking pieces of cotton on the twigs of your Hemlocks, contact Schneider Tree Care immediately.

Overall, the best bet for your trees is to have a Certified Arborist check them out once a year. Your trees will be healthier for it. Just call 244-3088 anytime.

Brandon Brown is a Certified Arborist and the Plant Health Care Supervisor at Schneider Tree Care (an Accredited company). 12 other Certified Arborists are available for questions as well as tree and shrub evaluations. Call Schneider Tree Care at 244-3088 or visit us on the web at www.schneidertree.com for all of your landscape needs.