This morning, the outdoor temperature at the homestead was five degrees below zero. We a few more days of such cold in the forecast. Most people complain about cold snaps like this, but I couldn’t be happier. Why? It’s good for the trees.
This past summer, I noticed that many of my eastern hemlock trees had become infested with Hemlock Woolly Adelgids (HWA). They’re an invasive aphid-like parasite from Asia that feeds on hemlock trees. They suck out the sap at the needle stem joints and can kill a tree in just a few years. It’s like death by a thousand cuts.
You know a hemlock tree is infested when you see little white tufts at the bases of the needles. Their egg sacks are covered with a fluffy white silk, hence the ‘wooly’ in the name.
Even though HWA has been moving north steadily over the years since its accidental introduction in the 1980s, I’d not seen any sign of them on my trees until this past summer. They say that most HWA cannot survive temps of -4°F (-20°C) Typically, we have winter temps below zero each winter. That may be why I’d not seen them before, even though they’ve been reported in southern NH for years. Last winter was unusually mild, with temps only getting down to the single digits above zero a few times. That must have been a reprieve the HWA were waiting for.
Chemical treatment is possible — usually by pouring the dilute insecticide around the roots in the spring so the tree will take up the insecticide and kill the little sap suckers. Given the number of trees on the homestead, chemical treatment would be a pricey operation. I wouldn’t be able to save them all.
So, I was fist-pumping with glee when I saw the thermometer at -5° at dawn this morning. Today’s high was maybe 4°. Now, at sundown, the temp was back down to zero. I’m rooting for another -5° tonight. There are another couple nights of even colder temps coming and I’m quite happy about it. Die, adelgids, die.
So, THIS the evil enemy you’ve been chanting “Die, adelgids, die” about Mic LOL.
Now I’m going to be wandering around (when the temps go ABOVE freezing) looking at my trees Mic. My tree foe is the Gypsy Moth. So “Die Gypsy Moths, Die”.
So how have your chickens been doing with this rather harsh cold snap?
Anything you had to change or things you might set up different for next winter?
Hi Michael,
It would be a good idea to check out any hemlocks on your property. You’re on the edge of the evil adelgid’s northern march. Could be this cold winter will keep them from going any farther north. Still, good to get a baseline view of what your hemlocks look like now.
The chickens have faired pretty well through this subzero spell. Their coop and run are pretty wind-resistent. The floor stay dry. I did staple some plastic over the vent/windows of the half-coop, to keep the wind at bay in that coop. I’ve done that before but this winter’s mild start let me put it off. I do feed them a bit more scratch during the cold. They need the extra carbs to keep up body heat.