Pop quiz time! 💥
This insect damages trees and shrubs by sucking up the sap in their leaves. It excretes a sugary substance called honeydew that eventually attracts a fungus called sooty mold.
What insect are we talking about?
If you're a faithful reader of our blog, or you've had problems with these insects in the past, you might guess aphids or scales. But there's another insect that attacks plants in the same way and also leaves honeydew behind — whiteflies.
Camellias are a beautiful evergreen shrub that can bloom from autumn to spring. With the right varieties, you can enjoy those colorful blooms for months.
To keep your camellias healthy and strong, watch out for a pest that will soon start making its appearance in the Concord and Charlotte, NC areas — tea scales.
Don't know a thing about tea scales and wondering how they can harm your gorgeous camellias? Read on for the three things you need to know!
Happy spring, dear readers! The weather is warming up and the flowers are blooming, but with that warmth and new growth comes the emergence of a bug you may want to keep an eye on: the eastern tent caterpillar.
Are these caterpillars a threat to your tree? We're giving you all the info you need to know about eastern tent caterpillars, including when you need to worry. Let's get into it!
Take a closer look at the brown, spindle-shaped structures hanging from your arborvitae. Are they pinecones like you first thought? Or could they actually be evidence of bagworms?
Bagworms can cause some serious problems for your tree or shrub, especially if it's an evergreen. Let's dive into what these bugs are and how they can damage your plants.
It may start with a white or gray waxy crust on your crape myrtle's stems, twigs, and trunks.
Then, a sticky substance coats your tree and drips onto anything below.
Annoying ants, flies, and wasps come next, attracted to the sticky mess.
A black mold moves in after that, ruining your tree's look.
And all the while, your tree is losing its vigor and has a lot fewer flowers than it did last year.
Who knew such tiny insects could do so much damage?
We're talking about scales this week and why you need to watch out for them in the upcoming months, especially if you have crape myrtles.
During the fall, and maybe a few times this winter, you may have seen small, dark green beetles in your home. If what you saw were elm leaf beetles, you may see the same bugs in your trees this spring.
It isn't too early to schedule a spring plant health care treatment to control elm leaf beetles!
Who doesn't love a tall, full pine tree? They provide shade, block wind, and increase the privacy of our properties. They also make a nice home for birds and other small animals and perfume the air with their wonderful scent.
If you love your pines, there's something you can do to keep them standing strong and tall: take measures to prevent a bark beetle infestation.
Did your plant leaves look weird over the summer? Maybe you looked closely at them and noticed little discolored spots. Sounds like that may have been the work of spider mites.
You might expect that damage to subside as most insects and arachnids go dormant for the winter. But as warm season spider mites take a break, cool season spider mites wake up to take their turn at the leaves of your trees and shrubs.
If you want to reduce cool season spider mite damage at your Concord, NC property this fall, now's the time to schedule treatment.
We're sure you've seen it: Trees with branches covered in dirty webbing. The branches of your own trees may have been covered in webs at one point. If not, they may be in the future.
What's behind it all? It may be tiny, 1 1/2 inch caterpillars called fall webworms.
If your tree gets covered in webbing this summer, don't panic! It may seem alarming, but your tree probably isn't in danger if fall webworms are the culprits.
What's metallic, has six legs, and is ruining your prized roses? You guessed it - the Japanese beetle. These insects have been plaguing gardens around the country since the early 1900s, and they're back for more this summer.
