Hi,
I woke up this morning and found that one of the plants outside my window was COVERED with this white, crystalized sugar looking stuff. Every flower looks like it has been attacked with this stuff, which extends down the branches. Does anyone know what sort of bugs would do this to a plant? We live in South Florida, and I'm not sure of the plant name. Any help would be great! Thank you!
Here is a closer look, if it helps!
These are not eggs, but sap-feeding insects in the suborder Sternorrhyncha of the order Hemiptera, The image is too fuzzy to be certain of their identity; they could be either mealybugs (family Pseudococcidae) - see http://tinyurl.com/24y569d for an example - or aphids (family Aphididae) - see http://tinyurl.com/25ompdd for an example. If large numbers of these insects are present, their feeding definitely can weaken the plant(s); additionally, some aphids can vector viral diseases of plants. You might want to check with your county agricultural extension service office (see http://tinyurl.com/25cka2l) for control advice.
I've got the same problem. The little white bugs hop if you disturb them. I am pretty sure the parts that do not hop are the immature ones. There are some large ants on the plants taking advantage of a free meal.
This is a photo of an azalea but they are also on my roses and bouganvilla. While walking my dog around the neighborhood, this morning I noticed they are on everything!
A good spray with the hose gets them off but they return quickly.
It has been about a week, and I have noticed some black ladybugs crawling around this mess.... I believe they have helped clear it up, as it is not as bad as it was last week! Thanks for your help.
