Boxwood has been a popular garden tree for centuries. The trees are adapted to a wide range of light conditions and prefer fertile, moist, well-drained soil enriched with organic material. Not only does this tree add texture to outdoor spaces, but its dense, evergreen foliage can be cut into almost any shape imaginable. There's just one problem: it's often plagued by a number of pests and diseases. If you see that your tree has white flakes, it usually means that it has been attacked by pests. We will help you successfully get rid of verminrecognize and combat.
The boxwood moth is an insect from the family Crambidae in the order Lepidoptera. It is native to Asia, but has now also spread to Europe. It is a caterpillar that feeds exclusively on boxwood leaves and completely eats entire parts of the tree, causing the tree to die.
Recognizing the green boxwood moth caterpillar
In the larval stage, the boxwood moth is difficult to recognize. Once he turns into a green caterpillar, he is more noticeable. The caterpillar has a black head and dark green stripes, and black dots can also be seen. The caterpillars of the box tree borer do not cause itching or rashes. They are absolutely harmless to humans and can be touched without special equipment. Typical of boxwood moths are the tiny webs that are reminiscent of spider webs. These caterpillars then transform into brown and white colored butterflies that fly around box trees at dusk and at night.
If you have discovered green caterpillars on your boxwood, you should warn all neighborswhich are also box treesown and perhaps have also seen white flakes, because these will certainly soon be infected or have already been infected. The sooner the problem is addressed, the greater the chances of eradicating this pest.
Get rid of boxwood moths
If you discover these green caterpillars on your boxwood, you should first collect them manually. Cut back the affected trees, dispose of the clippings with the trash and make sure that they do notcan be composted. But that is often not enough and there are also biological onesMeans for combating these insects. The product that needs to be injected is called Bacillus thuringiensis. The entire boxwood bush needs to be sprayed, trying to cover both the top and bottom of the leaves as this is where the eggs are laid. This treatment must be carried out every month until winter. As an alternative, you can spray your bushes several times with neem-based preparations.
White infestation on the boxwood - boxwood leaf sucker
The boxwood leaf suckers (also called boxwood leaf fleas) arethe most common pestson your favorite tree causing “white leaves”. The psyllids cause damage by sucking the sap from the buds and young leaves. These leaves are weakened and usually fall off after about a year.
Symptoms and diagnosis
The symptoms of a leaf sucker infestation are the blister-like deformations on the leaves and the white flakes. The boxwood psyllids can be seen inside the cup-shaped leaves, although the most obvious sign is the waxy threads and secretions they produce and are partially covered with. These pests are light green and may have dark markings.
Pest control strategies
If the infestation is small, do nothing. The damage caused by boxwood leaf suckers is only aesthetic and rarely affects the long-term health of the plant.
You can successfully remove the white coating as follows: Cut off the affected shoots and destroy them. If this happens before the nymphs mature into adults, the number of eggs for the next year will be reduced. The damage caused by the psyllids is complete by early summer and the shrub grows out of the injury.
Alternatively, you can spray the shrub with horticultural oil or insecticide. Apply in early May when new growth begins. Before or aftersprayed pesticidesare not effective because the eggs are protected by the bud scales and the small pests are protected by the cup-shaped leaves.
Boxwood has white flakes: mealy bugs
Mealybugs (also called mealybugs) are soft-fleshed, wingless insects that often appear as white, cotton-like masses on the leaves, stems, and fruits of plants. They feed by inserting long sucking mouthparts called stylets into plants and sucking the sap from the tissue. If the infestation is small, the damage is often not significant. However, if there is a larger, white coating, they can cause leaf yellowing and curling as the plant is weakened. Eating them usually produces honeydew, which makes the plant sticky and promotes the growth of sooty mold fungi.
Recognize mealybugs
The adult pests are oval, clearly segmented insects that are usually coated with a white or gray mealy wax. Small nymphs are light yellow and wax-free. They are active early on, but move little once they have found a suitable feeding spot.
White flakes: eliminate mealybugs
For light infestations, cut off the affected shoots or dab the insects with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. The other good remedy - neem oil - disrupts the growth and development of pest insects and has repellent properties. Best of all, it's for honey beesin your gardenand many other beneficial insects are non-toxic.
Fast-acting, herbal insecticides should only be used as a last resort. The natural pesticides derived from plants with insecticidal properties have fewer harmful side effects than synthetic chemicals and break down more quickly in the environment.
Also interesting:Pests on boxwood: The 3 most important pests that you should recognize and combat!
