Good year for Asian wooly hackberry aphids

COUNTY EXTENSION AGENT

Aphids can produce large amounts of sticky honeydew. The tiny droplets fall on leaves and anything below such as bedding plants, outdoor decks, furniture, toys, sidewalks, driveways and automobiles. Sooty mold fungi will grow on the sugary substrate and over time turn leaves, bark and the aforementioned items black. Leaves are not killed, but their ability to produce carbohydrate through photosynthesis is greatly reduced.

Aphid populations vary from year to year and they are hard to predict. The weather is one major factor and the availability of predators and parasitoids is another. For whatever combination of factors, this year seems to be a good one for aphids.

Asian wooly hackberry aphid populations are also building in many areas. They only occur on hackberry and sugarberry. Since these are common landscape and forest trees in Arkansas, the Asian woolly hackberry aphid has become a major nuisance pest. Populations had been building since 2001 until a couple years ago when they tended to crash in many areas. They appear to be have spiked up again. It is probably too late to control either of these aphids this year. Next spring, drench around the base of hackberry, sugarberry or crape myrtle with imidacloprid. This systemic insecticide will move up into the plant and to the leaves. It should provide season-long control and may possibly give some level of control through the following spring. On a smaller plant, such as crape myrtle that can be easily sprayed, imidacloprid plus beta cyfluthrin is a good choice.

To contact county agent Jimmy Driggers, call 6236841, or email him at jdriggers@uaex.edu.

Master Gardener

Anyone who has an interest in gardening is welcome to attend the monthly Master Gardener meeting which is held at 1 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the Elk’s Lodge. For information, call the Extension office at 623-6841 or 9224703 or email Allen Bates at abates@uaex.edu.

EHC

Interested in joining an Extension Homemakers Club? How about forming a new club in the community? EHC is the largest volunteer organization in the state. For information, email the county agent at jvincent@uaex.edu.

4-H

If between the ages of 5 and 19, you can join 4-H. There is a club for you, or you and a group of friends can organize your own club. For information, call the Extension office or email lbates@uaex.edu.