Aphids hit VZC

Aphids have landed in Van Zandt County.  The first issue we experienced were these white “fly like” bugs flying in hoards all around our area.   This little bug is actually the Asian Wooley Hackberry Aphid. Dr. Mike Merchant, urban entomologist and extension specialist, pointed out that control is probably not necessary unless the honeydew (aphid droppings, which may result in plant covered with black sooty mold) is becoming unacceptable, in which case they might try dinotefuran (Greenlight Safari) instead of the imidacloprid recommended below.

It is faster at getting into the tree or shrub. Both of these products are systemic in nature and get into the plant itself. This is how it controls the pest when it feeds on the plant. With this being said, make sure you are not treating something like a vegetable garden or some other edible plant. This is for ornamental use only.

Aphids suck plant sap from leaves, stems or even roots of plants. Most are very host-specific, meaning they feed on only one or a few related kinds of plants. Therefore, there is usually little danger they will move to other, different kinds of plants.

If wilting is apparent, or the sticky honeydew become a problem, control with insecticides labeled for aphid control. These aphids are being found on a wide host of ornamentals in our area, including crepe myrtle.

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