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Controlling Hackberry Psyllids and Woolly Aphids Without Harming Pollinators #866754

Asked May 02, 2024, 11:21 AM EDT

I'm at a loss. We have a small native pollinator garden in the front of our house and are in the process of cultivating a native meadow in the backyard. But we also have a couple mature hackberry trees in the backyard that are totally overrun by hackberry psyllids and woolly aphids. The psyllids have turned the foliage into more gall than leaf, and the aphids are leaving their "honeydew" on every square inch of our property. I want to treat these issues, but the most effective remedies (e.g., Bayer Advanced Tre & Shrub) appear to be disastrous for pollinators, particularly bees. How do I fix our problem? Would I be better off cutting down the trees and planting something like eastern redbuds? Thanks in advance for your help.

Hamilton County Ohio

Expert Response

Hi Evan, apologies for the delayed response. We're working on finding the right expert for your question and should have an answer soon. 

Allison  Replied May 14, 2024, 1:54 PM EDT
Thank you! I really appreciate it.

Evan

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Evan M. Gildenblatt, MPA
Attorney at Law



On Tue, May 14, 2024 at 1:54 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied May 14, 2024, 1:58 PM EDT

Evan:

My name is Joe Boggs and I'm based in Hamilton County.  My background is entomology and I have a strong focus/interest in non-native invasives.  I'm very interested in the woolly aphid that you're dealing with because it may be the Asian Woolly Hackberry Aphid (Shivaphis celti).

If possible, I'd like to make arrangements for visiting your site to confirm my suspicions.  Although the aphids cause no appreciable harm to hackberry trees, they are a serious nuisance pest owing to the potential for the aphids to produce huge populations of "puff balls" and they are a prolific honeydew producer.  However, we have poor documentation on their distribution.

My e-mail address is:  <personal data hidden>

My phone number is:<personal data hidden>

Regarding management, we don't have a recommendation for suppressing the psyllid galls because they cause no appreciable harm to their host even when they cause heavy leaf galling.  That's because the leaves remain functional.  Likewise, I don't have a proven recommendation for suppressing the woolly aphids because they also cause no appreciable harm to the host, so insecticide efficacy studies aren't funded.

However, I can talk to you more about that.


An Ask Extension Expert Replied May 21, 2024, 12:52 PM EDT

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