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Green Insect ID #867192

Asked May 06, 2024, 10:04 AM EDT

I found these green small bugs on my boxwood shrubs. They are about the size of about two pin heads or about 2mm long.

Can you tell me what they are?

Can you tell me if they will damage my boxwoods?

Can you tell me what to use to get rid of them?

Oakland County Michigan

Expert Response

I can't be sure, because identifying insects from photos is very challenging. I would say that these look a lot like an insect called Boxwood Psyllid (Cacopsylla busi). They are a usually minor pest, but can cause severe leaf distortion or twig death in some cases. They have a very short life cycle and only one generation per year. This means that they are almost done for the year at this point and the boxwoods will have the rest of the season to recover from the damage. They mostly cause distortion of the leaves (cupping), which can be an aesthetic issue, but does not cause significant physiological damage to the plant. It can be challenging to reach them with insecticide sprays, since they are protected within the cupped leaves. You can clip the affected shoot tips now, while the psyllid is still in the nymph stage and destroy them. This will reduce your infection next year by reducing the number of surviving adults. You can find more information and management option in this article from MSU Extension: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/boxwood_insect_pests
An Ask Extension Expert Replied May 10, 2024, 10:35 AM EDT

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