Many crape myrtle trees across the D.C. region are infested by a bug called bark scale, which leaves behind a black fungal infection. A cure is elusive.

For the most part, bark scale doesn’t kill crape myrtle trees, but it does cause problems. Here’s what experts have to say about treatment and prevention.

Crape myrtle bark scale is relatively easy to identify. It is one of the only scales known to infest crape myrtles. Adult females are felt-like white or gray encrustations that stick to crape ...

However, the presence of the white adult scales on the bark and twigs distinguishes this new scale pest from crape myrtle aphids. Sooty mold makes a sticky, black layer on leaves that have been ...

White spots on your crepe myrtle tree may just look like light mold or lichen, but it may be a sign of a bigger issue that sinister and damaging.

Gardeners notice the “black mold” on crape myrtles more than the bark scale or honeydew. To get rid of the mold, you have to get rid of the inscets that started it.

Rarely causing mortality in healthy trees, crapemyrtle bark scale can reduce growth and flowering of crape myrtles. Stressed, small, or containerized trees may be more vulnerable.

Crape myrtle bark scale, an invasive insect first spotted in Delaware in 2020, threatens the beauty of crape myrtles, an ornamental tree popular in landscapes throughout the state. The pest is now ...

What are the little white specks on the trunks of my crape myrtles? And why are the leaves and trunks shiny and sticky? I’m seeing outbreaks of crape myrtle bark scale across Metroplex landscapes.

When people mention premature leaf drop on crape myrtles, I always look first for evidence of either crape myrtle bark scale or crape myrtle aphids, but I see little evidence that either might ...

Today, we will discuss the crape myrtle bark scale. This small elongated insect is white and gray, feeds on the crape myrtle tree, and produces a sweet substance called honeydew.

UD Cooperative Extension leads the charge against the invasive insect crape myrtle bark scale Crape myrtles, an ornamental tree popular in landscapes throughout the state of Delaware, are prized for ...