By Fred Hintze
Contributing Writer
While we have been vigilant and patiently awaiting the hemlock woolly adelgid, the spruce spider mite has arrived in Big Canoe. It attacks spruce, fir and hemlock trees. You can see its effects on the two large hemlocks to the left and right of the flagpole by the main entrance to Big Canoe. Note the dead branches. Also, the hemlock just to the right of the wood walkway to the parking lot at the Chapel has dead branches caused by the spruce spider mite.

If your hemlocks, firs and spruce trees have been infected by these mites, you will notice a whiteness from lack of chlorophyll at the base of the needles on the lower branches of the tree. Obviously, this lack of chlorophyll happens before the needles and branches die.

Unfortunately, these mites are almost microscopic so the only way to check for them is by using a magnifying glass or to by shaking a branch over a white sheet of paper.

If you suspect an infestation on a tree, the best treatment is with an oil spray called Volck, which is available at Ace Hardware for $7.99. Trees must be sprayed every 30 days, and soaked each time until no infestation remains, which could be several months. The best time to spray is when bugs are most active in late September and late April.

Larger trees can also be chemically treated with the same chemical that we have used on several hemlocks infested with the hemlock woolly adelgids here in Big Canoe. If you have a large infected tree, please give me a call at 706-579-2248 and we can arrange chemical treatment. Reports are that the hemlock woolly adelgid is about 20 miles north of Big Canoe and we might expect them to arrive about a year from now.