There's a new disease/insect in town and its name is Crapemyrtle Scale.
Here's a link to the OSU alert document http://entoplp.okstate.edu/pddl/pddl/2015/PA14-39.pdf
Excerpts -
A new scale pest has been found infesting
crapemyrtles in ornamental landscapes
throughout Oklahoma. Crapemyrtle scale
(aka crapemyrtle bark scale, CMS),
Eriococcus lagerstroemiae, was first
observed in the U.S. in 2004 by a landscape
company in Richardson, Texas. This exotic
scale pest likely originated from Asia, where
it feeds on crapemyrtles and pomegranate.
It has been spreading throughout Texas and
other southern states, eventually reaching
Ardmore, OK by 2012. Crapemyrtle scale is
now found in eight counties in Oklahoma:
Bryan, Canadian, Carter, Comanche,
Marshall, Oklahoma, Payne, and Tulsa
Identification, Host Preference, and Life Cycle
Crapemyrtle scale is closely related to azalea bark scale, which
does not feed on crapemyrtles. Adult females are white to
gray and felt like. They can be found encrusting twigs and
trunks of crapemyrtles, and they exude a pink “blood-like”
liquid when crushed. Initial detections are usually made by
homeowners who notice the presence of black sooty mold on
their crapemyrtles. This often leads to the initial diagnosis as
crapemyrtle aphid, another sucking pest of crapemyrtles that is
prevalent in some areas of the southern U.S. However, the
appearance of white scale bodies on bark and the pink liquid
associated with crushed scales is diagnostic of CMS. Under
magnification, adult females are pink and measure about 2 mm
(approximately 0.8 inches) long, and pink eggs and crawlers may be present.
If you see these symptoms, go directly to the link above and read. To fix the problem, scrub them off with mild dish soap. If you can't manage them that way, use horticultural oil.
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| webworm - moth caterpillar |
In the same document, fall webworms are addressed and I know you have those! There is an epidemic of them this year.
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| webworm - moth caterpillar |
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The moth mother of
fall webworms |
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