Hemlock killing bug is spreading in Vermont

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A hemlock-killing insect has been found on more trees in Brattleboro.

The hemlock woolly adelgid, an exotic aphid-like insect discovered in the United States in the 1950s, was first spotted in Vermont last summer on four residential properties in Brattleboro and one in Rockingham, concerning state biologists.

Now officials say the insect has infested dozens of trees on a steep slope in Brattleboro. Some of the trees are already showing signs of decline.

The pin-head-sized bugs live on the underside of hemlock twigs sucking nutrients from them while protecting themselves with a woolly, white coat. Once a tree is infested, it can die within a few years.

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