Question
Hi,

I have a small gumbo-limbo tree around 4 yr old. I noticed one of its branches is now covered with a whitish "fur," like a layer of cotton candy wrapping around the branch, and I'm not sure whether it's a fungus or an insect's work--like a spider, a cocoon or something. What would that be? Do you think it could harm the tree? How should it be handled? Thank you in advance.

Sincerely,

Rick

Answer
This sounds like a relatively new insect to Florida called Gumbo Limbo Spiraling Whitefly. White flies are small, winged insects that belong to the Hempitera family which also includes insects like aphids, sales and mealybugs. Whiteflies feed on the underside of leaves with their 搉eedle-like?mouth parts. Plant injuries occur when whiteflies suck nutrients from the plant that causes wilting, yellowing, stunting, leaf drop, or even death.

Thus far, there have been reports that whiteflies have been spotted on gumbo limbo, Calophyllum species, black olive, copperleaf, broadleaf arrowhead, cocoplum, Brazilian pepper, wax myrtle, live oak, and mango.  Whiteflies have been reported on multiple palms including areca plam, Veitchia species, and coconut.

Noticeable symptoms of this whitefly include  the abundance of white, waxy, material covering the leaves and also excessive sooty mold.  Moreover, whiteflies will produce 揾oneydew? a sugary substance.  Whiteflies can also cause plant decline, defoliation, and branch die back.

Since it is a small tree I would spray the foliage with an insecticide called Orthene. make sure you wet both sides of the leaves and the branches. It may take a couple of treatments to kill all the insects due to the eggs may not all be killed by the spray. I would re-spray in 10 days and spray 3 times and then check for new signs of insects. There is also a soil applied insecticide called Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insect Control that is applied to the soil around the tree and the roots will carry it to the leaves and twigs and when the insect suck the plant juices they are killed. This treatment will protect the tree for the season. Which one to use will depend on if you have a sprayer and if you can reach all the foliage to get  complete coverage. If you do not own a sprayer or the tree is too tall I would use the Bayer product. Check with your local garden type store for these products. Here is a web link to the Bayer product.

http://www.bayeradvanced.com/tree-shrub-care/products/12-month-tree-shrub-insect...