Sneaky little thing, huh? I haven't had to trap one of those but did have to use glue traps for field mice some years ago, had to because we had small children and anything else was dangerous for them. Our squirrels won't go after peanuts or pb but bird seeds (black sunflower currently) will lure them into the havaheart trap (we release them into the big park a couple miles away). Good luck getting that thing John, he's eating you out of flora and fauna! ;)

Take a good picture of the plant....one that shows the stems, leaves, and size. Try to do a better job of describing the flower. Then post the information in the Name That Plant Forum, here in the gardenweb. As for your critter....yes, it could be something else. Perhaps another picture or two might help. Close-up and focused, if possible, and of the smaller ones. Have you poked around to see what's under all that fluff? And what kind of damage are you seeing?

So even though this is turning into more of a blog than a forum discussion, I thought I'd provide some updates. I was searching the internet for American Hornbeam pests when I found a forum discussion about Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs on another website. Suddenly I remembered that I have had dozens of them over-wintering in my bonsai room, though until recently I haven't gone to much trouble to get rid of them because they didn't appear to be doing any harm to my resident tropicals. Over the past few months though I have reduced their numbers to the point that I only see 1 every other day or so, so there are very few (if any) left at this point. Here is a dead one that I fished out of my humidity tray just a few minutes ago. These insects have antennas, but this one soaked in the water long enough that they have folded down to where you cannot see them. Has anyone had trouble with these insects eating or damaging bonsai leaves in the past? Does anyone know if they are potential bonsai pests? I read online that they could potentially cause damage to houseplants, but no specifics were provided. Also, while searching the tree again for pests, I stumbled upon what looks to be a scale infestation of the bark (only at canopy height, none found lower). I have dealt with scale on Ficus leaves before, but have never seen scale on bark/hardwood. Is this possible? I have posted pictures of what I believe to be scale below, as well as videos of me removing the scale (in hopes that someone can view them and confirm that this is indeed scale). I've also posted pictures of the marking left on the bark following scale removal, and some close ups of the scales following removal. The last picture is a close up (via microscope) of the yellow puss-looking inhabitant found under these shells. Though I am pretty sure that this is scale, I'd really appreciate if someone could confirm! Also, what pesticides are safe to use on Hornbeams? I realize that the safest thing to do is to scrape them all off, but I have little confidence that I can find them all (there are A LOT).

It is scale and generally control measures are necessary. Unless you use a systemic control, you will need to make repeated applications because they can be difficult to eradicate. A horticultural oil should do the trick. The best control can be had while the scale is in the "crawler" phase, and they are so small then, you likely won't be able to see them crawling on the leaves (they are tiny specks). So don't miss the repeat applications per the oil's instructions, should you choose to use oil. It also helps to control the small ant population at the same time, because it is not uncommon for ants to feed on the honeydew and protect the scale from natural predators.