The crape myrtle aphid attacks only crape myrtles. Q: crape myrtles are cover with a sticking residue. Dogwood Trees . Crape Myrtle Aphids are one of the main causes of honeydew and sooty mood on Crape Myrtle trees. Sooty mold is a fungus that covers the leaves and looks like you just sprayed your crepe myrtle with asphalt. Very beautiful. However, do not confuse the honeydew and resulting black sooty mold caused by an aphid infestation with that caused by the crapemyrtle bark scale. Note that if it’s the trunks instead of the leaves that are covered in sooty mold, it’s probably crapemyrtle bark scale insects rather than aphids that are causing the problem. Found throughout May through September, these tiny insects do damage by feeding on the soft tissues and plant sap of Crepe Myrtle leaves. Fortunately, the common Lady Bug can eat up to 1,000 of these little critters a day! Easily started from softwood cuttings. The mold doesn't feed on the foliage. Instead, it grows on sticky honeydew secreted by sucking insects like aphids, scales, and white flies that do feed on the leaves. If so, should I just spray as I do my roses? entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/trees/crapemyrtle_aphid.htm However, if you don't happen to have a large supply of Lady Bugs on hand, you can spray your Crape Myrtle with over the counter diazinon or malathion, available at most home improvement stores. I’ll address these next week. I’m so bummed. It’s way to full to do each leaf with any soap solution. Aphids are bothersome little insects that eat Crape Myrtle leaves. is a deciduous shrub or tree that ranges in height from 3-foot dwarves to towering trees of 50 feet. Crepe Myrtles Are Covered With Sticky Residue And White Powdery Substance. Black Residue on Crape Myrtle Trees. The new ones are about ten feet tall, the older ones are about 12 to 14 feet tall. Blasts of water from the hose also helps keep populations down. Flowering Pear Trees ... completely covered in aphids. Flowering Cherry Trees . Another striking symptom is the extensive amount of black sooty mold that may completely cover the foliage, branches, and trunks. Crepe myrtle aphids reproduce rapidly, especially as the weather gets hotter. If you see natural enemies on your Crape Myrtle, you may be able to skip spraying it with pesticide. Crape Myrtle Trees . Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia ssp.) It is of Asian origin, like the crape myrtle tree itself. (Note to reader: This is seldom a good idea.) Crape myrtle aphids are tiny, only about a 16th of an inch long. I planted 8 about 9 years ago, then realized four years later that I needed three more. Crape Myrtle aphids have many natural enemies, like lady beetles and their larvae, green lacewings and their larvae, hover fly maggots, parasitic wasps and certain types of fungi. The leaves are shiny and sticky. ... United States . 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