Content
- White flakes on the boxwood often indicate pest infestation
- Boxwood psyllid
- Harming
- fight
- Wool and mealybugs
- Harming
- fight
- Tips
Wollläuse leave white flakes
White flakes on the boxwood often indicate pest infestation
The boxwood, which is still popular in the garden as a border, hedge or shaped wood, is unfortunately very susceptible to infestation by fungi or animal pests. White flakes on the leaves and shoots, for example, are often an indication of sucking noxious insects such as the boxwood suckers or mealybugs.
Boxwood psyllid
The boxwood leaf sucker, also referred to as Buchsbaumblattfloh, preferably sucks on the young leaves, but also on fresh shoots, resulting in various deformations. Similar to the leaf juice sucking wool and lice, the pests excrete protective wax threads. In case of heavy infestation leaves and shoots are also covered by a sticky honeydew layer, which in turn may be coated with the blackish black smoke. The adult leaf fleas lay their eggs in the summer on the boxwood, from which then hatch the larvae. These finally overwinter in the larval stage directly on the plant.
Harming
The leaves on the young shoots are deformed spoon-like or blasig. Take a closer look at the affected shoots, where white flakes of wax wool are visible. In these are the yellow-brown, aphids not dissimilar leaf suckers. In case of heavy infestation, the leaves are also covered by sticky-sweet honeydew.
fight
In the event of heavy infestation, cut back the shoot tips of the boxwood in summer. Also suitable for the hobby and home garden are preparations based on neem or rapeseed oil, with which you spray the infested plants dripping wet.
Wool and mealybugs
White, cotton-like webs on leaves and shoots and sometimes also on the roots can also be caused by an infestation by wool and mealybugs. The approximately three to seven millimeters long animals also eat the nutrient-rich leaf juice and can cause severe damage.
Harming
The cotton-like structures are cocoons that protect the pests from predators. An infestation shows you first by yellowing and withering leaves, which are often thrown off after some time. Leaves and leaves wither, in addition, the growth of the plant is inhibited due to the lack of nutrients. The white bushes with the animals sit mainly on the undersides of the leaves as well as in the branches of the shoots and the leaf axils.
fight
Also with these plant lice helps a strong spraying with neem or rape oil preparations, whereby you should shade such treated box trees. The combination of a sunny location and an oil treatment can quickly lead to unsightly leaf burns. However, if the infestation is already well advanced, often only the pruning shears help. Cut off affected shoots and leaves generously.
Tips
If, on the other hand, the white flakes are visible in the course of the spring shoot and no further damage to the boxwood is discernible, this is by no means a pest infestation. Instead, the bright, protective wax layer now bursts off the new shoot and leaf buds.