adelgid

American  

[uh-del-jid] / əˈdɛl dʒɪd /

noun

1. any of various homopterous insects of the family Adelgidae, as Adelges abietis spruce gall aphid, or spruce gall adelgid and Pineus pinifoliae pine leaf aphid, that feed and form galls on conifers.

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Etymology

Origin of adelgid

From New Latin Adelgidae, equivalent to Adelg(es) a genus name (apparently from Greek ádel(os) “unseen, invisible” ( a- “not” + dêlos “visible, clear”) + New Latin -ges further origin unknown: unexplained by the name's originator) + -idae; see a- ⁶, -id ²

Example Sentences

Every fir tree larger than 5 centimeters in diameter was evaluated on the severity of infestations based on the presence of gouting, woolly deposits adelgid leave on the trunk, crown deformities, and dead needles.

From Science Daily • May 14, 2024

The emerald ash borer and wooly adelgid are also getting a leg up from climate change, which has warmed winters and allowed the insects to expand their North American range.

From Salon • Feb. 14, 2022

But in the eastern U.S., native hemlocks are succumbing to a Japanese insect called the hemlock woolly adelgid, which kills trees by sucking out their sap.

From National Geographic • Jan. 30, 2018

While the big oak is thriving, hemlocks throughout New England are dying because of woolly adelgid, a tiny, aphid-like pest native to Asia that is thriving in warmer winters and expanding its range.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 13, 2017

In just seven years, the woolly adelgid has fatally damaged more than 90 percent of the park’s hemlocks.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson