Anyone know how to get rid of Boxwood Psyllids?

Question

Two of my Boxwoods seem to be distressed. New buds are cupped. Many of the leaves have black and yellow circles on them and are dying back. When looking under the affected leaves, there are small white casings. At first I thought it was blight and then when I saw the casings I thought it was mites. So I held a piece of paper under one bush and tapped it several times to see if I could see some mites. There were none, but instead 3 adult Boxwood Psyllids landed on the paper. I am assuming this is what is distressing the plants. Has anyone ever had any success getting rid of these pests? Do you think that is what is causing some of the leaves to turn black and die?

Answer 1

   Your Boxwood Psyllids are pretty common pests. Fortunately the damage they do is primarily aesthetic, theres no lasting harm to the plants. Their damage is usually quite evident, one identifying trademark is cupped leaves. This serves to hide the insects while they suck the plant's juices.
   The best time to kill the little critters is when the leaves are just opening but you can still take care of many of them now. I recommend pesticides containing cyfluthrin and imidacloprid. Cyfluthrin is a contact poison, imidacloprid is a systemic, in other words the plant absorbs it and moves it throughtout the entire plant so it's all poison to whatever eats it.
   Bayer makes a great product that contains both of these, Bayer Advanced 2 in 1 or somethiing similar, it comes in a dark blue bottle and is a ready to use spray. It's also great on roses for Japanese Beatles. The cyfluthrin will kill most of the young psyllid which it comes in contact with, the imidacloprid will hang around for a few weeks more to finish off most of the adults. As always, when using any chemicals make sure you read and understand ALL of the directions and warnings.
   The leaves won't recover after you kill the pests, selective pruning will be your best bet to give the plants a better appearance.

   EDIT: Oops, I almost forgot, the Bayer product I mentioned is pretty easy to find. Any nursery that carries the Bayer line should have it, even big box stores like WalMart, Home Depot and Lowe's.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Boxwood Psyllid

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Anyone know how to get rid of Boxwood Psyllids?
Two of my Boxwoods seem to be distressed. New buds are cupped. Many of the leaves have black and yellow circles on them and are dying back. When looking under the affected leaves, there are small white casings. At first I thought it was blight and then when I saw the casings I thought it was...

Answer 5

The Boxwood Psylids, like Thrips and Leaf-Miners, are hard to get at. They are covered with a wax that repels insecticides. So, a soapy insecticide is needed to get through the wax. A worse pest is the Leaf-Miner. they are actually inside the leaves. Another solution, which will also kill the leaf-miners is to use a systemic insecticide. Talk to your nursery about how to correctly apply a systemic insecticide, and when to do it. A mild soapy insecticide would probably be a good idea in any case.
There are lots of sites regarding this pest. See the links.

Answer 6

Hi,

Got this from a site on boxwoods. Hope it helps!

Insecticides should only be used if infestations are heavy. Those labeled for homeowner use are acephate (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Japanese Beetle Killer 9.4% EC or Ortho Systemic Insect Killer 8% EC or Ortho Orthenex Garden Insect & Disease Control 4% EC) and carbaryl (Sevin 50WP)Soil treatment with imidacloprid (Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Insect Control 1.47%) will control psyllids, but may take one or two weeks to begin providing season long control.

Answer 7

I went to Ask.Com to help you out...it said the leaves cup to protect the new ones till they turn into .these the adults you saw.There are chemicals you can use, but they don't damage the hedge,just make it look a little gnarly because the babies eat the leaf they're deposited on...The best time to use a chemical has passed (early May),but if you need to use chemicals,type in the boxwood psyllids on the Ask.com and it will pull up some sites where you can get more detailed info...

Answer 8

I neeeeeeever use pesticides, and I've never had psyllids before, but what I would recommend is a mixture of cumin and vinegar (1 part vinegar, 1/4 part cumin) that can be applied to the part of the plants that is being hurt. It normally repels just about anything, but spiders still come and protect the plants. A helpful hint though, when you make a garden always put some "sacrifice plants" in a barrier around the outside and coat everything in the repellant. oh! and also, the repellant won't hurt the plants, you just need to make sure you wash them well before you eat them. Good Luck! :D

Answer 9

CONTROL
Insecticides are available for control of boxwood psyllids. Infested plants should be treated when new growth appears, and applications should be repeated as necessary. For specific chemical controls, see the current state extension service recommendations. .

Answer 10

If there are some sort of insect type things like those, you could use soapy water for a non-pesticidal treatment, otherwise pesticides and insecticides should work well. If this is something else... try asking someone in some sort of gardening or plant care department at like a Walmart or Home Depot or whatever type of stores with people who will know about your problem.