"James Harris" wrote in message
...
Hello All,

I have noticed lately on several of my Ficus trees there is a
shiny, sticky substance on some of the leaves. It looks a
little
like someone spilled syrup on the leaf and didn't wipe all of
it
off. It looks to be slowly spreading to other leaves on the
tree.
I have been keeping an eye on them and looking for any type of
insect. Last night I found a very small bug, which has a hard
shiny brown shell. I took it off and killed it. I found only
one.

It's probably scale. I had the same problem a couple of years
ago. Given a little more time, you may discover untold numbers
of those small bugs on your tree like I did.

On the advice of these fine people here on rec.arts.bonsai, I
took them out of my indoor greenhouse, sprayed with a hose to
wash-off all the bugs and sticky-stuff, and then sprayed with
horticultural oil. You may find that the leaves with the
sticky stuff on them develope black spots. Mine did, but they
all recovered.

We're spreading some potentially misleading information here,
folks.

The shiny, sticky substance on the Ficus' leaves is most likely
honeydew. It is a SYMPTOM that you have any of several sucking
insects (critters that stick mouthparts into the bark and suck
away the tree's juices). Back to honeydew in a moment.

It can be caused by white fly, lace bugs, aphids, and possibly
scale (though I have never seen honeydew with scale, my books say
it occurs with the varieties called "soft scale"). There may be
other insects that make it, too. (?) There are (or seem to be) a
gazillion species of each of those insect groups; some pick on
specific kinds of plants, others eat around. All are "sucking
insects." (Other sucking insects include spider mites, thrips,
and the "true bugs -- stink bugs and their ilk. None of these
last are associated with honeydew -- that I know of.)

The largest producer of honeydew are the immature stages of
whiteflies.

The problem with honeydew is the formation of sooty mold -- a
black fungus that grows in and on the honeydew. It is mostly
ugly, but it can be the carrier of viruses or bacterial diseases.
It also attracts ants, which don't in and of themselves hurt
plants, but which tend to "herd" honeydew-producing insects,
concentrating them so they can produce more honeydew. It is
easily washed off leaves with soapy water (perhaps the same soap
spray you use on the sucking insects that cause the problem).

White fly, lace bugs and aphids can be controlled with a soap
spray (Carl's recipe or a concoction you can buy at a garden
center), a light horticultural oil, also available commercially
(but keep your trees away from full sun for several days -- just
in case), or a pyrethrum spray, which is MY current preference.
There are several on the market. The pyrethrum spray is the only
one which will do anything to adult scale -- and even it isn't
too effective, at least not against the hard scales which hide
under a waxy coating. I dunno about the other scale. The best
solution for scale is "hand" picking and squishing. Aphids, too,
for that matter (mostly messy squishing).

White fly can be controlled with yellow sticky traps, ugly little
squares of sticky yellow paper that you scatter around.

Anyway . . . just wanted to indicate that it may NOT be scale,
especially if there is a significant amount of honeydew present.

ALL of these are much worse on trees kept indoors.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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On 15 May 2003 at 16:33, Jim Lewis wrote:


(though I have never seen honeydew with scale, my books say
it occurs with the varieties called "soft scale").
Anyway . . . just wanted to indicate that it may NOT be scale,
especially if there is a significant amount of honeydew present.

Jim and Jim,
I have a scale problem with a Ficus benji. and it produces LOTS of
honeydew. This tree is isolated until I can get it outside and I have
never seen any aphids or anything else on it, so I'm sure the honeydew
is from the scale. Pyrethrins seem to work well on this particular scale,
but they will come back.

ALL of these are much worse on trees kept indoors.

Absolutely agree with that. Oscillating fan seems to help keep aphids
under control, but doesn't seem to matter to scale.

For what it's worth,
John Carnes

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yep, honeydew on my ficus tells me the little scale buggers are nearby.
just examine the leaves above or nearby and you're sure to find one
(100?). i'm not sure whether i hate scale more than mosquitos or not but
they run a close race.

btw. i don't know how you folks simply "spray them off" with the hose.
i've sprayed and sprayed and only when i hold the leaf and direct the
spray right at the cute little clam does is dislodge. i just decided i
hate scale more.

art

my e-mail address is correct jim, don't ban me.

yep, honeydew on my ficus tells me the little scale buggers are
nearby.
just examine the leaves above or nearby and you're sure to find
one
(100?). i'm not sure whether i hate scale more than mosquitos
or not but
they run a close race.

btw. i don't know how you folks simply "spray them off" with
the hose.
i've sprayed and sprayed and only when i hold the leaf and
direct the
spray right at the cute little clam does is dislodge. i just
decided i
hate scale more.


You can't wash adult scale away; the juveniles are another
matter. They're still mobile.

I guess I don't get as upset with scale as some of you because I
don't allow trees in the house (or inside) for more than 2-3 days
at a time, so I don't see much of it.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Lewis"
I guess I don't get as upset with scale as some of you because I
don't allow trees in the house (or inside) for more than 2-3 days
at a time, so I don't see much of it.

That's kinda hard for us Yankees! Even the water blast is difficult in
winter, usually done best just before cleaning the bathroom, since we have
to add a little hot water to warm the spray.

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