Question
Fungus in Magnolia Tre
A couple weeks ago Gypsy moths were abundant in my Magnolia Tree, then stopped. Two days ago when walking around the yard, I noticed an abundant amount of flies on the mulch beneath the Magnolia tree, looked up to see even more flies with in the tree and noticed what I assume to be a fungus which is white to beige in color. Is this damaging to the beloved tree?
AnswerThis looks like cottony aphid. This is an insect that secretes a wax that looks like cotton. It sucks the plant juice from the tree and there should be a sticky residue on the leaves under the insects.
There are several insecticides effective for aphid control when sprayed on plants. Perhaps most effective are those with systemic activity that allows them to move through the plant. Acephate (Isotox, Orthene) is the most widely available systemic insecticide.
Some insecticides can be applied to the soil and taken up by the roots of the plants. These are called systemic insecticides. The most recent, Imidacloprid, is sold under the trade name Bayer Advanced Garden Tree & Shrub Killer Concentrate. (Merit is the trade name of imidacloprid used by professional tree care companies.) It is applied as a drench over the root zone.
