Question
Our magnolia tree has white patches (looks like pussywillow) on its branches.  A few of the branches are dead.  I hand picked the "pussywillows" off the lower branches and it felt like they had a crisp shell with liquid matter in them.  Question:  What can I do to save my tree?  Am I doing more harm by picking off the "pussywillows" by hand?  Thank you for your concern and reply.

Answer
You could scrape them off by hand and this will not harm the tree but would be a big job on a large tree. These are scale insects that suck the plant juices from the plant. Over time they can cause problems. I would treat the tree with an insecticide called Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insect Control. This is applied to the soil around the tree and the roots will pick it up and transport it to the twigs and leaves and  when the insects suck the juices they are killed. this will prevent attack for the whole season. Here is a web link to this product.

http://www.bayeradvanced.com/product/Tree-Shrub-Insect-Control/concentrate.html