What's eating my River Birch?

[nellie923]

Just found some recent damage to some of the leaves on my River Birch (about 1 year old). I see white and black tiny spots. Some of the leaves are distorted (see pics) while others seem to have a white powder on them. Any advice on what this is and how to treat it? Hope the photos are clear enough. I was thinking of hosing it off to see if I could get rid of the stuff.

 

[Chuck]

Just found some recent damage to some of the leaves on my River Birch (about 1 year old). I see white and black tiny spots. Some of the leaves are distorted (see pics) while others seem to have a white powder on them. Any advice on what this is and how to treat it? Hope the photos are clear enough. I was thinking of hosing it off to see if I could get rid of the stuff.

Looks like powdery mildew. There are all kinds of remedies. Google powdery mildew treatment.

 

[nellie923]

Thanks, Chuck, but I now have more info: examination under a loupe reveals tiny black bugs wandering around. I'm guessing the white spots are eggs. One side suggests Whitefly, but they usually don't come around here until late in the season. Meanwhile, I cut off many of the infected leaves/branches and sprayed the rest with water/soap/baking soda spray. I put all the cut branches in the trash.

 

[Chuck]

Thanks, Chuck, but I now have more info: examination under a loupe reveals tiny black bugs wandering around. I'm guessing the white spots are eggs. One side suggests Whitefly, but they usually don't come around here until late in the season. Meanwhile, I cut off many of the infected leaves/branches and sprayed the rest with water/soap/baking soda spray. I put all the cut branches in the trash.

See if you can take a picture of the black bugs.

 

[oneeye]

Thanks, Chuck, but I now have more info: examination under a loupe reveals tiny black bugs wandering around. I'm guessing the white spots are eggs. One side suggests Whitefly, but they usually don't come around here until late in the season. Meanwhile, I cut off many of the infected leaves/branches and sprayed the rest with water/soap/baking soda spray. I put all the cut branches in the trash.

Whitefly will attack a plant thats in drought and suffering from dehydration. Plus when there's a infestation there will be white clouds of flying bugs everytime you shake the tree limbs.

 

[oneeye]

Aphids and birch borers attack stressed birch trees. I would just blast the tree with a strong blast of water to knock the bugs off the tree. Aphids hate water and will leave after getting blasted a few times. The blast of water will damage their tender bodies and they will leave or die. You don't have to flood the plant just hit the foliage with enough water to knock them off. Post a photo of the tree flair if possible.

 

[DiggersJo]

Looks like Woolly Aphid to me.

 

[nellie923]

So I have captured a halfway clear photo of the bug attaching my birch. I hope you can see it and help me identify it. Don't think it is wooly aphid. Any other ideas?

 

[Chuck]

Looks like a thrips except for the legs. Otherwise, not a clue.

 

[nellie923]

This insect is very tiny, much smaller than thrips. Without magnification it looks like a dot, a period, on the paper. About 18 point period maybe.

 

[nellie923]

So the black dots seem to turn into full grown flying bugs that are about 2mm in size.

 

[DiggersJo]

That looks like a flower bug, but your leaf pictures look like woolly aphid

 

[cpp gardener]

It might be a predatory Assassin Bug that is feeding on the aphids. Blasts of water will do in the aphids without killing the good bugs.