I've noticed some sort of a white powder on and around a few of the bushes in my landscaping bed (almost looks like the consistency of the crystalized chemical stuff you put down to prevent ice/melt ice in winter). The management office says they haven't done anything (no landscaping work, no pest or insect control), so I'm stumped.
Does this look familiar? Could it be some sort of fungus or insect residue? It's on and around the bushes (I see it in the mulch in a ring around the 3 bushes -- not on or near any other plantings, though).
You can see 2 of the 3 bushes are currently dying -- a few years back, there were stinging insects in the ground between those 2, and the exterminator did something with a spray into the nest. The bushes have been dying since.
(Not sure why the landscapers cut huge chunks out of them, but they did that and then more died off, so now they'll be removing them.)
Thanks for any insights!
White powder on and around bushes
Heard back from the Master Gardener at the local Penn State Extension. He said:
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It looks like your boxwood has a psyllids infestation. The fluffy white matter is the actual insect itself, before it turns into a flying adult insect.
It is likely that the other damage to the boxwoods is unrelated to the psyllids.
Fortunately, psyllids are not the worst insect your boxwoods can have. However, treatment is in order to keep them healthy.
Prune out and dispose of infested branch tips as soon as possible. Sprays are only necessary if infestations are heavy. The nymphs can be treated with horticultural oils or insecticidal soap sprays (not Dawn) in April and May.
Adults can be controlled by a contact insecticide into June, of which Spinosad is a good organic option.
In both cases, spray the top and the bottom of the leaves.
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