Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Adelges tsugae

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Boston

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

232 Verified sightings at Boston
160 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Adelges tsugae, the hemlock woolly adelgid or HWA, is an insect of the order Hemiptera (true bugs) native to East Asia. It feeds by sucking sap from hemlock and spruce trees (Tsuga spp.; Picea spp.). In its native range, HWA is not a serious pest because populations are managed by natural predators and parasitoids and by host resistance. In eastern North America it is a destructive pest that threatens the eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and the Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana). HWA is also found in western North America, where it has likely been present for thousands of years. In western North America, it primarily attacks western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) and has only caused minor damage due to natural predators and host resistance. Accidentally introduced to North America from Japan, HWA was first found in the eastern United States near Richmond, Virginia, in 1951. The pest is now found from northern Georgia to coastal Maine and southwestern Nova Scotia as well as areas of western Michigan near the eastern Lake Michigan shoreline. As of 2015, HWA has affected 90% of the geographic range of eastern hemlock in North America.

An adult individual body... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
5 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in Boston?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hemlock Woolly Adelgid sighting in Boston on a given day, based on 232 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 64th most-seen of the 1200 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in Boston?

November to February

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in Boston on a given day, against under 5% in July and September–October, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Hemlock Woolly Adelgid?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hemlock Woolly Adelgid sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Boston the best place to see a Hemlock Woolly Adelgid?

Yes

Of the 6 cities where we can rate Hemlock Woolly Adelgid sightings, Boston has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Philadelphia (United States, under 5%) and Washington (United States, under 5%).

Where does the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is recorded against all the insects logged in Boston (232 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Boston