CLOSED: Lace bug?

Has anyone heard of a lace bug, seems to like azaleas?
Thanks
Ozarkoakleif

Yes, unfortunately. They're teeny, and make the leaves have a kind of pale, mottled look, with little brown spots on the underside of the leaves. I've had them for years and didn't figure it out until this year. Only one azalea in the shade has it, the rest are in too sunny locations. I've been spraying the insecticidal soap every couple weeks, but it's hard to apply to the underside of the leaves where they live, 'cause the bushes are against the house

Here's a couple links:
http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=lace+bug&search=Search

http://ipm.ncsu.edu/AG136/bugs1.html

It's called Stephanitis pyrioides








This message was edited Sep 14, 2006 11:46 PM

This message was edited Sep 14, 2006 11:48 PM

Thank you claypa. Sorry i've waited so long to get back to you. I do appreciate the info.
ozarkoakleif

Hey, no prob, whatever! Reading my post I'm not sure I made it clear, but they realIy only bother azaleas in sunny locations. I have azaleas in shade that they don't bother, and I moved a few to shadier places in hopes that will help. Another thing I notice is there's clouds of them in other bushes that they don't eat, and then move to the azaleas, I guess. The battle continues.... supposedly the key is to spray them at certain stages, but they're so small I can't tell what's going on

At least they don't affect the blooms :)

I wouldn't say they never bother azaleas in the shade. They aren't that particular. Azalea=lunch Now, they might go to the one in the sun first.... And azaleas do need some sun to bloom well - preferably morning sun, with protection from the hot afternoon sun. This is an excellent site about this very subject:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7428.html
If you are not strictly organic, imidacloprid does a better job and doesn't impact the beneficials because it is systemic. It is inside the plant leaves, and the beneficials don't eat plant leaves. Even soap and oil sprayed on plants kill beneficials. The site explains that too.

I know soap and oil kill insects it contacts, but I can't find any mention of it killing beneficials on that site. It does talk about other insect pest problems imidacloprid can cause, and being highly toxic to some lady beetles. My problem with most 'cides is they usually sell you enough to do the whole neighborhood twice, and half the sheds in America wind up with partially used containers of poison that wind up in the trash, rivers, fish, et cetera, ad infinitum.
I wish I knew more about it. Maybe it comes in single dosages or similar, or can just get a squirt of it from somebody in the neighborhood.

Oil and insecticidal soaps kill insects by suffocation or dessication. That includes beneficial insects. Yes, Imidacloprid is toxic to the lady beetle species that feeds on cottony cushion scale. Since the Imidacloprid does not kill that particular scale, it continues to feed on the plant. The beetle feeds on the cottony cushion scale, and the imidacloprid within the scale will then kill the lady beetle. So that warning is given: Do not use on cottony cushion scale. But that is the exception.
I understand and agree with your concern. We used to have to buy enough imidacloprid to do exactly as you stated in order to buy it at all. So a whole bunch of us would chip in and share. It was also very expensive because it was so concentrated. About $125 for a very small amount, but that small amount was to be diluted with like 300 gallons of water. Try to calculate that down to a 5 gallon bucket! But Bayer and others have come out now with a homeowner's version, that has additives so that it can be used more easily and used up more easily, too. And if it is watered into the ground, rather than sprayed on the plant, it does not impact other beneficials. I am very protective of my beneficials, hummers and all other birds, and butterflies. I do lots of ignoring, handpicking, spot spraying with oil or soap if no beneficials are there, and use imidacloprid as my last defense. And that's because I am just lazy and don't like to mix chemicals and then clean up.

Wow, I didn't know it was that expensive...I saw some on e-bay for somewhat less, but still...
I love dave's, I used to think I was the only person who can't understand why the various 'cides come in such huge quantities. I've never bought any before, not even for the lawn, but I really am tiring of the lacebugs. I guess next year it'll be easier to tell how far they've been beaten back with the soap.
Apparently there is a predator for the lacebugs, but it hasn't been introduced in the U.S. on any scale yet. It's one of the assassin bugs, they are both of Asian origin.
About the sunlight exposure, it's a dramatic difference here with the bugs. I wouldn't have put some of these azaleas where they are, but a few are way too big to think about moving. Oh, well. Anyway, thanks for your help!
Mike

I'm sure you can still get that concentrated form, but it is really more to be used by commercial applicators with those huge tanks. But that's the only way it came at first. Now they've added fillers to the Bayer's formulation (and others) so that you can use maybe 1 Tablespoon per gallon (I don't know if that is correct - I don't have a label in front of me - only an example) which is realistic for the homeowner.