As a result, the leaves, branches, and trunk become covered with black sooty mold, which grows on the honeydew. In a lady beetle exclusion trial (pesticide treatment for lady beetles), natural enemies were found to provide approximately 75% suppression of crapemyrtle bark scale (Merchant et al., unpublished data). (In Chinese). The crapemyrtle bark scale is an invasive insect pest that was first reported in the United States in 2004. See Table 1 for examples of products containing bifenthrin and horticultural oil. Human transport on infested nursery material likely accounts for the long distance spread of the scale. CMBS is a miniscule insect that appears as a felt-like gray or white crust on crape myrtle branches, often on the underside away from the sun. A closer inspection of infested crapemyrtles will show copious sooty mold on leaves, branches, and trunks. Spraying contact insecticides on egg sacs or pupae may have very little efficacy. You may be first alerted of the presence of the black sooty mold which has deve… (2014). These include pomegranate, persimmon, edible fig, boxwood, American beautyberry, cleyera, privet, and raspberries. in the USA. It has recently made its way into West TN and is an active problem in Madison County. Therefore, the best time to spray is in the very late evening to reduce the impact on pollinators. This honeydew, in turn, will eventually turn black as it is colonized by a concoction of fungi, called sooty mold. Crapemyrtle bark scale (CMBS) has been confirmed in Richland County (Columbia) in South Carolina this year. Each female lays about 60 to 250 eggs, which may over-winter within their ovisacs, and then hatch during mid- to late April to May. This systemic insecticides is available in a number of brands as concentrates for use as a soil drench, and in a few brands as granular products to scatter around the plants and water into the soil. When crushed, these scales exude pink “blood”-like liquid. Alternative hosts of crapemyrtle bark scale. Do not spray if it is windy, and wear the recommended protective gear stated on the label, especially if the plants are tall. Crapemyrtles suffer aesthetic damage because of the CMBS infestations. When crushed, these scales exude pink liquid which apparently is their blood. Keep in mind that there can be a spray drift from spraying upward, and the insecticide can have an impact on pollinators of nearby flowering shrubs and herbaceous plants. As it feeds, it excretes a sugary solution known as “honeydew” (similar to aphids, whiteflies, and other sucking insects). This first life stage (1st instar) is mobile and is the only stage that can disperse (via wind or animal transport). All recommendations are for South Carolina conditions and may not apply to other areas. Samples were collected by Sarah Watts, Extension Agriculture Technician, and confirmed at the NC State University Plant Disease and Insect Clinic by Dr. Matt Bertone, Extension Associate. The female’s body shrinks as eggs are pro-duced. These mobile crawlers move out to new twigs and branches to settle down and begin feeding on the sugary phloem layer beneath the bark. They especially congregate in branch crotches and at pruning sites. When numbers of crawlers start to increase, consider control measures below. The CMBS infestations appear as white or gray, waxy crustations on stems, large twigs, and trunks, but rarely on foliage. Crepe Myrtle Bark Scale Since 2013, in the city of Germantown, there has been a suspicious decrease in the health and appearance of one of the South’s ubiquitous flowering tree species, the crepe myrtle. Figure 5. Bark scale originates from China and was brought to the U.S. in 2010. Th… Available online: http://www.lsuagcenter.com/ ~/media/system/7/8/d/1/78d165df43ac0d4767607d88dadfb841/pub3440bugbizcrapemyrtlebarkscale_final.pdf (accessed on 16 May 2016). Short distance spread likely occurs via wind or by hitchhiking on birds, mammals and larger flying insects. Within a tree, first stage crawler numbers are similar on both upper and lower branches, based on trapping on 12 trees in College Station TX throughout one season (Vafaie et al., 2015). A second peak in crawler activity occurs in late summer. Entomological Society of America. However, do not confuse the honeydew and resulting black sooty mold caused by an aphid infestation with that caused by the crapemyrtle bark scale. First detected in north-central Texas in … Crapemyrtle bark scale is found almost exclusively on the bark. Mature female adults form a waxy protective covering (ovisac), mate with a male scale, and begin laying eggs. The bark spray applications should ideally be made when crawlers are out and exposed; typically near mid-April and beginning of May. International IPM Symposium. The crapemyrtle bark scale (Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae) is a recently introduced pest from Asia that initially infested crapemyrtles (Lagerstroemia spp.) Up close, CMBS is whit… With a scale heavy infestation, there may be premature bark peeling. See Table 1 for examples of products containing this systemic insecticides. It’s a small sap-feeding insect that lives on the bark of certain plants, especially crapemyrtle. Crape Myrtle Bark Scale (CMBS), like its host, originated in Asia. Poster. Adult females produce a white, felt-like sac around their bodies and lay approximately 100 to 300 pink eggs inside this sac. These scales include larger, white, oval (female) and smaller, elongate (male) scales. (2017). (2015). This will also allow for better spray coverage. 4 through 6). COVID-19 Extension Updates and Resources ... 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