White Stuff on my branches of Redgum

[kcpoole]

Hi all
I hope someone might be able to help

I have noticed my Euc ficifolia has some bugs on the branches. They are tiny things and leave a section of the branch coated in this white stuff
When you rub it it smears on the skin a a brown stain.
the ants love them as the tree is covered in it

It does not affect any other tree nearby

Help
Ken

ps I have sprayed with confidor and cut off most of the affected branches

[PeterH]

Ken
The pests look like meally bugs. The natural solution is ladybird beetle or I usually use a mixture of Pyrethrum and white oil. I think the brand Pestoil is similar.

Peter

[kcpoole]

Cool thanks peter I will look up on Mealy bug and see what I can find out
I will also get some pyrethrum / white oil and give a spray

[Jamie]

the ants look like they are collecting them, the ants will actually let them live so they can "harvest" them, i had this problem on a fukien tea.
white oil fixed it, then me fukien tea come back and got nailed by grass hoppers in a single day. they only went for the fukien tea tho so i got lucky..
but the fukien died.. rip little fella!

by the way if it looks like they have little legs and they want to move then the meally bug is probly what ya got. make sure you check all the tiny crevices and under all the leaves

[kcpoole]

Thanks Jamie
have only seen them on the Stems as yet for some reason, but will check when i spray with white oil.
Yeah seem like the ants just lick 'em not eat 'em!

Will update with what results I get

ken

[FlyBri]

the ants look like they are collecting them, the ants will actually let them live so they can "harvest" them

Yeah seem like the ants just lick 'em not eat 'em!

Gday folks!

I believe that what the ants are harvesting is the sugary secretions that the mealybug - umm - secretes. As Peter has suggested, there are natural predators such as Ladybirds and Lacewings to help control the pest (in both cases, it is the larvae of the insects that do the hunting). If you move into the realms of spraying, I would first choose the 'soft' option of white oil as it contains not pesticides as such: the oil simply smothers the pests by covering their breathing holes.

One concern I have about the presence of ants is that they may be nesting in the soil of your Red Gum, in which case they may be affecting the health of the tree: in my experience, ant nests beneath the soil can often be quite waxy, causing the soil to shed water rather than absorb it. To rid yourself of the ants, place a couple drops of dishwashing liquid into a tub of water and soak the pot for an hour or so (this will not harm a healthy River Red, as I've often forgotten them and let them soak for days at a time). The ants will either drown or scurry up the trunk of the tree, at which time you can squirt them off with water or hit them with your white oil. Mrs Fly also suggested that this might be a simple way of treating your 'curl grubs' (possibly Cockchafer larvae) - just drown them. I routinely soak my trees as a way of ensuring that they are completely watered, and I don't tend to have pest problems beneath the soil.

Thanks and good luck!

Fly.

[Bretts]

I am about to try a new insecticide called eco-neem.
Apparently it is only ingested by the insects eating your plants and then it causes two things to them. The insect can't shed it's skin wich causes a few problems and it also doesn't feel like eating so it will startve to death. You may still see them on the plant for a while but they will not be eating it.
I like his the best.

as beneficial insects are not plant eaters, they will not consume eco-neem. Only plant biting, sucking or
chewing pests will be affected. Trial work has proven this to be the case.

http://www.chemreco.com.au/productflyers/ecoNeem.pdf

[kcpoole]

Hi Fly

I Reppotted thsi tree into Akadama on the weekend ( it had a Curl grub or 2 in it) but no ants in the pot.

I usually soak my trees every 2 months in water and seasol, but can never get them all done. Only select few get the treatment. this year I have repotted trees that I knew were soaked and they still had grubs in them when I potted.
Maybey they like Seasol Baths?

Will try the white oil on them this weekend