If you turn over your crepe myrtle leaves, you’ll see lots of small, soft-bodied yellow-green insects feeding – these are the crepe myrtle aphids. This makes it easy for them to quickly grow into a large population that will damage your tree. Aphids feed on both indoor and outdoor plants. Crape myrtles are commonly attacked by crape myrtle aphids. Crape myrtle aphids, and other aphids, attract a lot of generalist predators such as lady beetles, green lacewings, and minute pirate bugs that keep them in check. Crape Myrtle. Heavily infected flowers may fail to open. Follow package instructions for diluting the oil in water or use a ready-to-use neem oil spray, and spray the affected areas. Just spray the leaves to kill pests without having the worry of harming your kids or household pets. Crape myrtle aphid adults and nymphs are pale yellow-green with black spots on their abdomens and range from 1 /16 to 1 /8 inch in length. To make a neem oil spray for aphids simply mix 1 tsp of neem oil and 1/2 tsp of liquid dish soap to 1 quart of water. Aphids are also known as plant lice, or greenflies, which are small and pear-shaped insects. No, the Neem oil poured at the base of the plant won't infuse your crape myrtle so it kills aphids systemically. Crape Myrtle aphids have many natural enemies, like lady beetles and their larvae, green lacewings and their larvae, hover fly maggots, parasitic wasps and certain types of fungi. Their larvae are complete pests and with enough of these beetles, can destroy a whole tree. Scale. Neem oil is a cost-effective solution to pests and insects. Lisa's Landscape & Design ♦ 08/05/2012 ♦ 2 Comments. They are extremely prolific, however, and populations can rapidly build up to damaging numbers during the growing season. They cause sooty mold by leaving their organic material on Crape Myrtle leaves. Neem oil is extracted from the seeds of the neem tree, it controls a wide variety of common garden insect insects and pests such as aphids, and other insects, including mealybugs, cabbage worms, beetles, leafminers, ants and various types of caterpillars, as well as fungal diseases. This control is more effective on young insects and less effective on more mature insects so timing and early intervention is key. Neem oil can be found at any major gardening center. You can eliminate aphids naturally with neem oil or an organic pesticide. Since neem oil does not readily mix with water, you’ll need to use an emulsifier like a mild liquid soap. 7 Best Alternatives to Sliding Glass Doors, Lemon Cucumber Plant - Guide, Growing Tips and Pictures, How To Dry Thyme - 3 Ways of Drying And Storing For Later Use, How To Dry Oregano - 4 Quick Methods With Instructions, Does Lavender Attract Bees To Your Garden, Elderberry - How to Plant, Grow, Care for Elderberries. Since the oil is completely environmentally-friendly and easily broken down, more and more people are turning to neem oil as a biopesticide for their home and garden. Scale . Neem Oil Spray for Aphids Safer 5180-6 Neem Oil Ready-to-Use Brand Fungicide, 1 Pack. If you see natural enemies on your Crape Myrtle, you may be able to skip spraying it with pesticide. Mix 1 tsp of neem oil and 1/2 tsp of liquid dish soap to 1 quart of water, or 4 tsp of neem oil and 2 tsp of liquid dish soap to 1 gallon of water. Aphids are tiny green bugs that crawl on leaves and bite into them for the tree’s nectar. Once ingested, it affects the hormonal system of the insect, causing it to forget to eat and stop moulting, mating, and laying eggs. Concentrated Triple-Action Neem Oil 08721, pesticide helps control fungi, insects and mites from The Home Depot. Fungicide for the prevention and control of various fungal diseases including powdery mildew, black spot, downy mildew, anthracnose, rust, leaf spot, botrytis, needle rust, scab and flower, twig and tip blight, and alternaria. Neem oil as a pesticide has steadily increased in usage and popularity over the past few years because it is 100% natural and non-toxic to humans and pets. Aphids have several natural enemies, including other insects, insect larvae, and birds; and they move rather slowly, making them easy to remove by hand or target with sprays. Our friend Anne Frank at Lake of the Pines called in to ask “how do I get rid of Aphids on my Crepe Myrtles?”. A daily blast with a garden hose on the underside of the leaves is an effective and environmentally friendly way to destroy whole aphid colonies. Spray the tree with a molasses solution (2 ounces of molasses to 1 gallon of water) and then release lady bugs (available at some garden centers). Crepe Myrtle Bark Diseases from Scale. It’s safe for greenhouse use. This ready-to-use spray gets its fungal- and insect-fighting power from neem oil, an extract of the neem plant. That was last weekend. Here are the top contenders and their warning signs: Crepe myrtle aphids. I'd save the Neem for other uses. Patches of white to grayish powdery growth occur on the surfaces of leaves, flowers and new shoots. Even so, there may come a day when you’re forced to do battle with pests on crepe myrtle, so let’s explore those right now! The cloying oil will smother the aphids, killing them in a matter of hours. However, if you have a sharp blade, you can lift the insect’s camouflaged cover and find its soft body underneath. You can get neem oil in its pure form, then dilute it with water to make a 2% solution and spray wherever you find unwanted insects. These shiny green-black beetles are as unmistakable as they are frustrating to try to treat. A natural cure for crape myrtle aphid is to introduce ladybugs, one of the aphid's natural enemies. Scale insects hardly look like insects at all and may instead appear to be cottony or waxy growths on your crepe myrtle . How do I get rid of aphids on my tree? Essential Oils as Insecticides After finding two helpful studies on essential oils and aphids I decided to turn to essential oils with insecticidal properties. Fungi that attack crepe myrtles: Treat with insecticidal soap or neem oil for best results, but wait until evening to apply either or use a shade to protect your plant from potential burns. Aphids use their piercing sucking mouthparts to extract sap from the tender, new growth of plants. Crepe Myrtles with Aphids? Getting Rid of Aphids on your Crepe Myrtles. Killing aphids and black sooty mold on bushes, trees, and crepe myrtles is not as easy as it sounds. Crepe myrtle aphid is an important pest of crepe myrtles throughout their range. 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