CAMDEN, Maine — Maine officials say the hemlock woollyadelgid appears to be expanding its territory in Knox County.
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry says a tourist recently found the pest on two trees in Camden. The agency says the insect was found in forested areas of Friendship and Owls Head during detection surveys earlier this year.
It can be found from Kittery to Owls Head in Maine.
The insect first came to the United States from Japan in the 1950s and causes premature needle drop, and can eventually kill trees. Maine Forest Service asks people to check hemlocks for signs of the insect and report any found. The hemlock woolly adelgid is a small, aphid-like insect that has white tendrils all over its body most of the year.