Native Plants
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Sunday - April 10, 2016
From: San Antonio, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pests, Shrubs
Title: Red bugs have appeared on my Texas mountain laurel
Answered by: Guy Thompson
QUESTION:
What should I do about the red bugs on my mountain laurel?ANSWER:
The red bugs are most likely Lopidea major. These lnsects can disfigure the TX mountain laurel foliage, but they do not cause serious damage. They are difficult to eliminate with insecticides because they are members of the True bug order, which feed on foliage by piercing the leaves and sucking out the contents. They thereby avoid insecticides sprayed onto the leaf surfaces. And the waxy leaf cuticle prevents the plant to efficiently take up systemic-type insecticides. It is probably best to leave them alone or, for cosmetic purposes, spray them off with a hose. In any case, they willl disappear in time, leaving the plant unharmed.
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Small tan balls on oak from Pipe Creek TX
May 21, 2014 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, our spanish oak is growing tan colored lumpy balls about the size and weight of a marshmallow..sometimes just one at the end of a short stem and sometimes 2-3 clumped together....
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February 02, 2012 - We have an large infestation of box elder beetles. They are crawling all over the yard and sometimes on the outside of the house. When you walk in the yard a cloud of them rises up and fills the air. ...
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