What is this?

wildmustng87 · Fri Nov 06, 2009 2:52 pm

A couple years ago we cut back our grapefruit tree, aiming to kill it but it began growing back and my dad wants to let it grow now. However, it has some sort of fungus or bugs or both, I am not quite sure. What is this and can I treat it with Neem oil?

[img]https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b261/skeetercat87/IMG_0513-2.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b261/skeetercat87/IMG_0512-1.jpg[/img]

Thanks

The Helpful Gardener · Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:30 pm

The white is the bug and the black is their poop and that is the NASTIEST scale infestation I have ever seen

. Neem will work both mechanically and chemically on scale; do not hesitate, do it soon (early moring or late afternoon or a cloudy day, as oils can burn in combination with hot sun).

And I'd like to see follow ups pics in a week, please. We'll see where you stand then and go from there. Yikes!

By the way, are there ants climbing to the black spots?

HG

wildmustng87 · Sat Nov 07, 2009 12:38 am

Thanks!

Lol well, I've kinda been ignoring it for a while, we don't really eat grapefruits and I just started working on the yard last weekend! Actually, they are starting to get on the orange tree next to it so thats the main reason I decided it was time to do something about it

But I did buy some Neem oil concentrate today and plan on getting up early and getting to work, and I'll be sure to keep you posted!

I haven't watched the ants but I do see a lot of them on and around the trunk all the time, so that's probably where they are going.

-Ash

The Helpful Gardener · Sat Nov 07, 2009 8:16 pm

Yep. Insects like scale can't process the sugars in fruits so well and excrete them, concentrating in the "honeydew" , which the ants then feed on. Pretty common telltale for aphids or scale...

Get enough sugar in a plant (measured in [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brix]brix[/url])and bugs can't eat it at all. Seems we ought to work on that...

HG

wildmustng87 · Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:25 pm

Just a short update:

It seems to be getting better, there are less live bugs on the leaves, though the leaves still look dirty. I'll try to post pictures when I can, I think I have to do another treatment of the neem oil according to the bottle..