The blackish trunks on the crape myrtles around town are caused by a Chinese insect known as crape myrtle bark scale. It doesn’t kill the trees, but it does make them unsightly and less vigorous. This ...

Walking on the St. John’s Lutheran Church campus a few weeks ago, I noticed a recently planted crape myrtle that didn’t appear to have its normal spring color or vigor. Upon closer inspection, I ...

Dear Neil: How can I find someone qualified to tell me if a very large tree needs to be taken down? I’ve gotten conflicting comments. You need a Certified Arborist. He or she will be a member of the ...

Crape myrtles have been a beautiful low maintenance choice for Mississippi landscapes for many years. Their cinnamon colored bark and brightly colored blooms have made them very popular. Crape myrtle ...

My crape myrtle has white spots on the bark and a lot of black leaves. What is going on? OS What you are describing are classic symptoms of crape myrtle bark scale (Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae).

When I get multiple calls on a pest in a small time period, there is usually a decent-sized issue. This past week has been one that I have not enjoyed having to identify, because it means there is a ...

WASHINGTON — Crape Myrtle trees are found all over the DMV. They boast beautiful blooms and are a staple of many landscapes. But little white critters, called bark scale, are threatening the trees.

I first wrote about crape myrtle bark scale three years ago in a column in fall 2017. The pest, discovered in Texas in 2004, popped up in Chesapeake six years ago, and later in Virginia Beach. Options ...

We see it all in the Plant Clinic, and this summer we’ve been seeing a lot of Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae or crapemyrtle bark scale. This invasive insect from southeast Asia first appeared in the ...

Although native to eastern Asia, crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia) are almost indispensable in the Southern landscape. Their vibrantly colored flowers in shades of pink, purple, red and white from May to ...