Boxwood Care - Ask Extension
Hello,
This contact was recommended to me by a friend for some guidance for the care of my boxwood bushes at my home in the City of Grand Blanc.
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Knowledgebase
Boxwood Care #832166
Asked May 26, 2023, 11:26 AM EDT
Hello,
This contact was recommended to me by a friend for some guidance for the care of my boxwood bushes at my home in the City of Grand Blanc.
Attached are images of a white substance that coats all of my boxwoods. Is this larvae or a fungus of some sort? I also have some flying insects which appear very similar to mosquitoes, but are a bright, almost hunter’s orange color. Might the white substance be the larvae of these insects? The insects are also a problem, as they swarm around the bushes.
How might I resolve both of these issues? Thank you very much in advance?
Genesee County Michigan
Expert Response
Good Morning,
It looks to be the boxwood leafminer. The adult leafminer is a yellow to orange-red fly that looks like a mosquito. You can send in a sample to get a firm diagnosis. Plant & Pest Diagnostics (msu.edu)
See attached for management strategies.
Boxwood leafminer (missouribotanicalgarden.org)
Boxwood insect pests - MSU Extension
I hope this helps. Thanks for using our service.
It looks to be the boxwood leafminer. The adult leafminer is a yellow to orange-red fly that looks like a mosquito. You can send in a sample to get a firm diagnosis. Plant & Pest Diagnostics (msu.edu)
See attached for management strategies.
Boxwood leafminer (missouribotanicalgarden.org)
Boxwood insect pests - MSU Extension
I hope this helps. Thanks for using our service.
Thank you very much for the help! I think the insect is definitely what you said. It’s eggs look just like those I’m seeing online.
Do you have any insight into the white curly possible fungus growing on the leaves as well? Seems to be unrelated to anything I can find for boxwood leaf miners.
Thank you,
Mary Katharine Knight
Mary Katharine Knight
Sent from MKK’s iPhone
Good Morning,
I suspect this white fluffy substance on your boxwood is a waxy secretion produced by an insect called Boxwood Psyllid, a fairly common pest of boxwoods.
Their feeding causes the leaves to cup and curl, but it is primarily cosmetic damage and not detrimental to the overall health and life of the shrub.
I hope this helps.
I suspect this white fluffy substance on your boxwood is a waxy secretion produced by an insect called Boxwood Psyllid, a fairly common pest of boxwoods.
Their feeding causes the leaves to cup and curl, but it is primarily cosmetic damage and not detrimental to the overall health and life of the shrub.
I hope this helps.
