State ends first round of treatment to fight hemlock-killing insect

The first round of the state’s efforts to reduce the spread of an invasive insect that is killing hemlocks along Lake George is complete, but the Department of Environmental Conservation said it is planning consecutive annual treatments after spotting more areas with infestations.

The invasive insect, hemlock wooly adelgid, was first spotted in hemlock trees at the Glen Island Campground in the summer of last year when more than 250 acres of trees were identified as infected, the DEC said.

Since then, the state began treatment in October, treating more than 2,000 trees with insecticide on 138 acres in Paradise Bay. The New York State Hemlock Initiative also released 620 beetles called Laricobius nigrinus, which are originally from the Pacific Northwest and predators of the hemlock wooly adelgid.

As treatment for the treatment was underway, the state discovered that new areas were infected with the invasive adelgid, including Shelving Rock; Buck Mountain Trail Head; Dome Island, private property along the southern shore of Lake George in Queensbury; and Moreau Lake State Park.

The DEC said it’s “planning consecutive annual treatments to treat many of the trees in the infested areas, as well as additional strategies.”

Treatments at Glen Island Campground will begin once the ground thaws so that the trees will take up the insecticides. Treatment will end before the campground opens for the season, the DEC said.

The DEC is asking the public to report signs of hemlock wooly adelgid, which is about one-quarter the size of a cotton swab and can be found on the underside of branches at the base of needles. Gray-tinted foliage and needle loss are signs of a hemlock wooly adelgid infection, the DEC said.

People can report signs of the invasive insect by contacting the DEC or visiting an infection reporting website.