Blasts of water from the hose also helps keep populations down. Crape myrtle aphids are tiny, only about a 16th of an inch long. It’s way to full to do each leaf with any soap solution. Sooty mold is a fungus that covers the leaves and looks like you just sprayed your crepe myrtle with asphalt. It’s so bad I just want to burn it down but because it’s one of the earlier breeds, I can bring myself to do it. The new ones are about ten feet tall, the older ones are about 12 to 14 feet tall. They are somewhat susceptible to mildew and aphid attack, both easily controlled. The leaves are shiny and sticky. Aphids are bothersome little insects that eat Crape Myrtle leaves. Is this from aphids? I’ll address these next week. 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. Flowering Pear Trees ... completely covered in aphids. entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/trees/crapemyrtle_aphid.htm Instead, it grows on sticky honeydew secreted by sucking insects like aphids, scales, and white flies that do feed on the leaves. (Note to reader: This is seldom a good idea.) Very beautiful. Crepe Myrtles Are Covered With Sticky Residue And White Powdery Substance. is a deciduous shrub or tree that ranges in height from 3-foot dwarves to towering trees of 50 feet. Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia ssp.) I planted 8 about 9 years ago, then realized four years later that I needed three more. It is of Asian origin, like the crape myrtle tree itself. Branches and trunks can be covered in the white scale infestation. Fortunately, the common Lady Bug can eat up to 1,000 of these little critters a day! Crape Myrtle Aphids are one of the main causes of honeydew and sooty mood on Crape Myrtle trees. Black Residue on Crape Myrtle Trees. The mold doesn't feed on the foliage. Q: crape myrtles are cover with a sticking residue. Found throughout May through September, these tiny insects do damage by feeding on the soft tissues and plant sap of Crepe Myrtle leaves. Easily started from softwood cuttings. Crape Myrtle Trees . Dogwood Trees . 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. When crape myrtle leaves are covered in sooty mold, the crapemyrtle aphid is the likely culprit. If you see natural enemies on your Crape Myrtle, you may be able to skip spraying it with pesticide. ... United States . The crape myrtle aphid attacks only crape myrtles. 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. There is also a white powdery stuck to the sticky stuff. 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