Scale insects can infest and damage many of the plants we grow in our landscapes and indoors. They feed on the sap of plants, and a large enough population can weaken a plant, damage it or even kill ...

We enjoy magnolia trees for their beautiful early spring flowers, but in summer they sometimes get downright ugly. Gardeners may notice a fuzzy black coating on branches or a sticky glaze that ...

My Japanese magnolias have this horrible disease that causes tan-colored growths that look like boils on the branches, and they attract flies. A black mildew is on the leaves, and the leaves ...

Q: Everything under one of my large potted plants on the patio is turning black. What isn’t black is sticky. What is wrong with this plant? A: From the pictures you sent me, we know that the black ...

It first showed up in Texas in 2004 and made its way across the Gulf states. Now, crape myrtle bark scale can be found as far west as New Mexico, as far north as Kansas and as far east as Virginia. It ...

Williams: to any question that did not involve scale insects, his usual answer was ‘I’ll think about it’ Douglas Williams, the entomologist, who has died aged 101, was a pioneer in scale insect ...

Maple trees in urban environments show signs of stress due to the urban heat island effect. Impervious surfaces like pavement retain heat and disrupt water absorption, stressing trees and making them ...

Q. My magnolia tree is covered with white bumps on the twigs. The leaves and the ground under the tree are covered with black mold. What is wrong? A. Magnolia scale has become a serious problem in our ...

Q: I have a backyard prickly pear with a cochineal infestation. Does that need to be treated? Do these guys ever go away on their own? Are they even actually a problem for the cactus? A: Cochineal ...

Areas struck by the red-striped soft-scale insects (RSSI) expanded to over 7,400 hectares as of October 24, according to the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA). Based on the latest SRA data, 7,449 ...

Spring beauty is fleeting, and so is the opportunity to stop scale insects that live on the bark of magnolia trees and suck their sap. “With scale insects, timing is everything,” said Sharon Yiesla, ...