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Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
 
I have maple trees. And a big oak tree.

All of the trees in town seem to be covered by some type of white, moldy looking stuff. So, the fact that my trees are, didn't bother me.

However, when I was out mowing the lawn today, I noticed this weird wet spot on the sidewalk/grass and the grass was like black moldy. I looked up and saw this white stuff which doesn't look like any of the other white moldy stuff. This is like snow. Here's a blurrier, but closer shot of it. It's like the tree is dripping stalactites.

Does anyone know what this is or how to treat it? It can't be good.
 

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Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
 
That's a fungal infection, sweetie. Go down to your local home and garden center and get some anti-fungals to spray on it.
 

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Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
 
There's a fungus among us
 

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Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
 
It's an invasion by an alien life form. They are de-terra-forming Earth in preparation for their landing. They'll need something to eat while they're busy wiping us out and capturing all our base.
 

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Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
 
Yuggoth...
 

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Posted by Gryphonesse (Member # 6651) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Orson Scott Card:
... and capturing all our base.

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thanks, now I'll be cleaning coffee out of my keyboard for the rest of the afternoon...


 

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Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
 
I wrote a story like that once.

Hey! You cheap hack! Stop stealing my stories!
 

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Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
 
Well, that was scary.

Okay, I think the moldy stuff is actually called powdery mildew and isn't a big deal.

The white stuff, however, looks like it might be a "heavy scale infestation," which is apparently some type of bug, like the aphid, only more dangerous to the tree. Both aphids and scale (?) are drippy/sticky (trust me, you don't want to park your car under these trees, but we do anyway.)

They describe the scale infestation as a cottony scale infestation, which I think might be the actual name of it and say it's on the underside of the branches and looks like wet popcorn. I would have gone with snow, but I'm sure in a few more days, it will look like popcorn.

You know, the more I look at the pictures they show, the more I don't think it is cottony scale.

But, I did go back out and look at the leaves and there are little white bugs. Aphids. Now the lady bugs are just around the corner. And yeah, lady bugs are cute. Till you have 300 of them in the house.
 

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Posted by Gryphonesse (Member # 6651) on :
 
don't lady bugs eat aphids, tho? Would that help?
 

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Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
 
Yes lady bugs eat aphids. However, like I said, when you have 300 of them in your house, it's not cool. And by the end of September or so, they will all be dying and they have a unique smell that you can taste in your mouth. Like you've been chewing on cigarettes or something. It's nasty. At first I thought I was nuts and didn't say anything to my husband because he thinks I have an over active nose to begin with, but even he noticed the funny taste in his mouth.

quote:

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Ladybugs can excrete some of their blood as a defense, which is mentioned above. It is yellow and smells bad. There is that "color" defense again and it does smell quite unpleasant.

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