For the last few days I have noticed little white critters drifting in
the air, in the evening.
At first I thought it was just drifting ash from someone's fire.
They are snow white, with little wings, antennae, and small fibers all
over making them look like fluff.
They don't seem to be so much as flying as drifting on the air currents.
I assume they eat vegetation.
We have a lot of Oaks and Hickories, with a large stand of Pine across
the road. I don't know if they are coming out of the trees or where.
Anyone got an idea what they are and what they will attack?

nada said:


For the last few days I have noticed little white critters drifting in
the air, in the evening.
At first I thought it was just drifting ash from someone's fire.
They are snow white, with little wings, antennae, and small fibers all
over making them look like fluff.
They don't seem to be so much as flying as drifting on the air currents.
I assume they eat vegetation.
We have a lot of Oaks and Hickories, with a large stand of Pine across
the road. I don't know if they are coming out of the trees or where.
Anyone got an idea what they are and what they will attack?

Some type of wooly aphid, I suspect. There are a number of species
with different hosts.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

"So, it was all a dream."
"No dear, this is the dream, you're still in the cell."

email valid but not regularly monitored

Maybe its a Lace bugs. Lace bugs are usually host specific and can be very destructive to plants.

It's just like Woolly Aphids as what Pat said.
Woolly aphids (family Eriosomatidae) occur on many hardwood and coniferous tree and shrub species including elm, silver maple, ash, alder, apple, pear, pine, spruce, hawthorn, and juneberry.

Woolly aphids feed by inserting needle-like mouthparts into plant tissue and withdrawing sap. They feed on leaves, buds, twigs, and bark, but can also feed on the roots. Symptoms of feeding include twisted and curled leaves, yellowed foliage, poor plant growth, low plant vigor, and branch dieback. Physical injury may result when large numbers of woolly aphids attack young trees or unhealthy, stressed trees. Fortunately, severe woolly aphid infestations only occur periodically and are generally kept in check by natural enemies. In addition to the physical damage to the plant, accumulations of wax and shed skins are sometimes very conspicuous signs on the leaves, twigs, and bark.