Native Plants
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Monday - May 11, 2015
From: austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pests, Trees
Title: ID of insects attacking a Mexican Plum in Austin, TX
Answered by: Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
I live in south austin and have a young 6' tall mexican plum. For the third year in a row it is getting eaten by small green 'leaf-rolling' worms. The destruction the past 2 years was so bad there were hardly any leaves remaining on the tree. This year I watched while it was in bloom and noticed small 1/4" long flying insects (with clear wings, red segmented bodies and black heads with white markings) that were landing on the emerging leaves and may have been laying eggs - they were not interested in the flowers. Do you know what this insect is and how I can treat the tree to reduce the infestation?ANSWER:
We do not know what insect is plaguing you Mexican Plum tree. However, it's very possible that the leaf-rolling larvae and the tiny flying adults are unrelated species. You should contact your county's Agricultural Extension Service office. They will be able to help with identification of the pest.
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