Insect that kills hemlocks detected in NW Michigan county
View of a section of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore park and fog-obscured Lake Michigan beyond, Michigan, November 2013. (Photo by Interim Archives/Getty Images)HONOR, Mich. – A small insect that can kill hemlock trees by feeding on their sap has been detected at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northwestern Michigan. Michigan has been combating hemlock woolly adelgid since 2006 and has current infestations in Allegan, Ottawa, Muskegon, Oceana and Mason counties. The insect was detected in October in Ludington State Park, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Sleeping Bear Dunes. Cars, boats or recreational vehicles parked beneath infested trees may also be able to transport the insects to new locations.