From the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development: “Balsam woolly adelgid, a tiny, sap-feeding insect that attacks true fir trees, has been detected at the Backus Creek State Game Area in Roscommon County. The Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development and Natural Resources have been managing isolated balsam woolly adelgid infestations in Clare, Missaukee and Oceana counties since 2023. A small infestation found in Kent County in 2021 is believed to be eradicated.”
Balsam woolly adelgid (BWA) is similar to HWA in appearance and how it affects the trees that it attacks; however, it is quite in different in both where it attaches and how it is eradicated. BWA attacks “true fir” trees, including Michigan’s vast resources of balsam, Fraser, and concolor (white) fir. See more information on BWA by visiting this link.