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Conservation commission orders beetles, school and neighbors to help fight hemlock woolly adelgid
Summary
Old Orchard Beach conservation volunteers and a local school will release predatory beetles this spring to suppress hemlock woolly adelgid. The commission reported ordering roughly $4,500 worth of beetles through regional partnerships; releases will depend on weather and entomologist guidance.
The Old Orchard Beach Conservation Commission reported on March 9 that it has ordered predatory beetles to help control the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) and said students and nearby residents will join release efforts.
Speaker 4, a teacher and commission member who described student involvement, said the commission "has ordered $3,000 worth of beetles and Ocean Park Association $1,500 and then the students raised a little over $200," noting the total order is about $4,500 and estimated at roughly 600 beetles. She said the beetles are raised in a Pennsylvania lab and ship when nighttime temperatures reliably exceed about 40°F.
The commission described the releases as suppression, not eradication. "It will never completely eliminate the Adelgid," Speaker 4 said, adding that in some sites the releases have helped hemlocks reach a stasis where trees survive despite the adelgid’s presence.
Commission members discussed partnerships and cost-sharing: the group obtained a bulk discount through the Nature Conservancy and area towns that reduced cost per beetle from about $3 to $2.40. The class-led monitoring program shares data through the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and coordinates with the state entomologist, Colleen Tierling of Augusta, who assists with identifying candidate trees and release strategy.
Timing and logistics were emphasized as constraints. Speaker 4 said releases typically occur in late May or early June when nights stay above freezing and conditions are calm so the beetles can acclimate and disperse into tree crowns.
The commission framed the program as both ecological management and an educational partnership: students collect monitoring data, help deploy beetles at Jamieson Woods and Milliken Woods South, and participate in fundraising. The commission did not record a roll-call vote on the purchase during the meeting; meeting remarks cited the order as already placed. The commission suggested additional funding sources may be pursued if further purchases are needed.
The commission left follow-up actions to staff and volunteers: confirm shipment timing with the supplier, coordinate release days with weather and partner groups, and continue data-sharing with the state entomologist and Gulf of Maine Research Institute.
