Japanese flowering holly tree in trouble
I have a 12 year old holly tree had it 4 years now , had a small problem , this year it started to develope white sticky spit like froth on the branches and trunk, I thought it was spider eggs I keep hosing it off and treating the bonsai with provado bug killer but it keeps coming back and slowly killing off branch by branch please help me I have 6 other trees next to this bonsai with no oroblem please help I'm not sure what pesticide to use ? I'm prity new to bonsai thanks
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applestar
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It might be mealy bugs -- sucking insect similar to scale insects that protects itself with waxy cottony blob, making spray on insecticides ineffective.
Try touching and then cleaning them off with cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol -- they should come off in orange-red smear if they are mealy bugs. Swish off/reload the swab in a small container of rubbing alcohol.
Minor infestation can be cleared by this method.
Try touching and then cleaning them off with cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol -- they should come off in orange-red smear if they are mealy bugs. Swish off/reload the swab in a small container of rubbing alcohol.
Minor infestation can be cleared by this method.
I have a 12 year old holly tree had it 4 years now , had a small problem , this year it started to develope white sticky spit like froth on the branches and trunk, I thought it was spider eggs I keep hosing it off and treating the bonsai with provado bug killer but it keeps coming back and slowly killing off branch by branch please help me I have 6 other trees next to this bonsai with no oroblem please help I'm not sure what pesticide to use ? I'm prity new to bonsai thanks
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applestar
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- Posts: 30540
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
Ok ACTUALLY spit like bubbles? Hard to see as not quite in focus.
Typically, that would be spittle bugs if this was outside. Spittle Bugs are nymph of leafhoppers. (Have you seen many of those around?) -- have you tried smearing the "spit" off with your fingers and examining to see what's inside? (:D Yeah, you do stuff like that when you are gardening
) If spittle bug, then there will be a pale soft bug hiding inside the spittle. USUALLY these can be washed off with hard spray of water, but I do smear them off and squish them if in vengeful mood. 
Please indicate where you are located (in the profile), you may be dealings bugs that I'm not familiar with if you live far away.
Typically, that would be spittle bugs if this was outside. Spittle Bugs are nymph of leafhoppers. (Have you seen many of those around?) -- have you tried smearing the "spit" off with your fingers and examining to see what's inside? (:D Yeah, you do stuff like that when you are gardening
) If spittle bug, then there will be a pale soft bug hiding inside the spittle. USUALLY these can be washed off with hard spray of water, but I do smear them off and squish them if in vengeful mood. Please indicate where you are located (in the profile), you may be dealings bugs that I'm not familiar with if you live far away.I did examine the spit, and their were bugs inside I squished them ive taken as many off as I could with cotton buds and surgical spirit hopefully this will nit harm my tree I have given it a good rince with the hose. Is their anything rlse I can treat it with thanks mate. 
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I would just wipe all the foliage off carefully, being sure to kill any moving objects. Be easy on her, and be sure to dispose of all foreign material. After that I would just spray it with a fine mist of water, because I just like doing that. Or you could just spray the stuff out of it with water. F those bugs . I see you maybe have already tried that though. The only other thing I can think of is swabbing rubbing alcohol, as previously posted. Sorry, but never had an infestation problem before. I'm sure I will now, because I jinxed it. Good luck, and keep us posted. We want to see your tree happy 
. I see you maybe have already tried that though. The only other thing I can think of is swabbing rubbing alcohol, as previously posted. Sorry, but never had an infestation problem before. I'm sure I will now, because I jinxed it. Good luck, and keep us posted. We want to see your tree happy