Magnolia & scale & bees, Oh My!
sam_md
7 years ago
So I was asked to look at this magnolia. It is one of the ornamental ones, extremely dense with foliage. As I got closer I got very nervous, I heard a whole lot of buzzing from inside. The interior of the tree was alive with bees. I assumed there was a swarm or hornets nest but found neither. What I did find was scale, large scale and a lots of it. Also, much of the foliage was dirty & dingy. There were several kinds of bees, so what's going on? Is this a problem? (ignore the bird nest.)
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Smivies (Ontario - 5b)
7 years agoRelated Discussions
I have a problem with size and scale.
Comments (22)Token, I am really sorry about your leg. I have a similar spot in my garden, a bed beside my driveway. It has pretty much the same slope as you have (minus the wall). I found that evergreens and dome shapes and spikey foliage that holds it's own, and some "drippers" is a great way to fill it and keep it looking neat. So I filled my bed with a lot of herbs! It really works to carry the form though the area - repetition of shape and color of foliage. I added some "greys" such as lavender, sage, grey santolina (which has to be refreshed every few years), shrubby silver germander, sedum "blue spruce" Spikey foliage in a variety of "thicknesses" - society garlic (which has a long flowering time) and german irises Lime green foliage "little elf" spirea, round leaf oregano, sedum angelina Greens: phlox or thrift (as it's called in the South), chrysanthemum pacificum, russian sedum, ornamental oreganoes (they flower!!), rosemary (upright and creeping), germander I also have purple setrecia but can understand if people don't care for that one. It can be a bit "outter space" looking. Blue Sue is a good replacement for a cascader if you like the plant but not too "WOW" leaf color. These are all from the top of the slope downwards. I have tall items on top of the slope (where your knockouts etc. would work). This pattern of low growing form doesn't need much attention, stays mostly evergreen and fairly neat but not too neat - still a bit cottagey). I grow it all in a patchwork. Not three plants together in space...I choose one plant and put it in three different places within the garden to make the pattern. Just an idea. GGG...See Morebest treatment for magnolia scale NOW
Comments (42)@EliGray Hi Eli, When I sprayed the scales they loosened their grip (I'm assuming die) and fall off or you can spray them off with the hose. You're correct, it's been 2-3 yrs. since I started spraying WD-40. The scales came back in less numbers last summer and I sprayed them again. I sprayed conservatively because too much will dry out and split the bark. The following summer (this summer) I have been unable to find any scales. The tree is growing very well. It's about 12ft now and grows full. No more black drops of scale honeydew (secretion) on my patio and no more wasps. I'm very happy. My only problem now is how to control the growth. The tree is getting too big. I'm not familiar with pruning a magnolia. I'll have to do some research. Like I've said before, I understand the hesitation and environmental concern of some here in this forum when it comes to using WD-40. However, I was at the end of my rope with the scales and wasps. I don't claim to know what WD-40's active ingredient is. All I can tell you is that it worked for me. Try a test patch and see for yourself. Of course the choice is yours. Best of luck which ever way you decide to go....See MoreScale on shrubs .i.e. boxwood, golden euonymous
Comments (5)The standard treatment for scale on shrubs for as far back as I can remember has been to spray them with dormant oil during the dormant season . Timing is important. Nowadays they have a superior form of dormant oil that is a superfine summer-weight dormant oil product that is not supposed to damage plants if sprayed during the non-dormant season. It is more lightweight and makes a tiny mist-light spray that suffocates the scale (as does the more heavyweight regular dormant oil). As for organic controls, you cannot mix organics with the use of pesticides because regular spraying of broad-spectrum pesticides kills off the beneficial insects that would be helping control the scale. So, if you want to use an organic approach, you have to stop using the broad-spectrum pesticide and wait for the population of beneficial insects to return. If you already have a heavy scale infestation, I don't know if the plants could survive long enough for the beneficial insect population to rebuild. It can take months to years once the beneficials have been killed off before they can rebuilt to a large enough population to make a difference. I'll find and link the nice long document you crave that tells you all about scale and its control, both organic and synthetic. As for the butterfly vs. mosquito issue, I just keep a flat pan (filled with rocks) out for the butterflies whenever it is dry here. I also keep a mud puddle going for them. I don't worry too much about mosquitoes in wet years---they are going to be everywhere anyway no matter what I do or don't do as some of them can travel up to a mile. Usually we have enough predators around (bats, purple martins, dragonflies, etc.) that even though I see mosquitoes I really don't get bitten very often. Maybe the predators are getting the mosquitoes before they get me. Good luck with your scale issues. Dawn MOBOT: Euonymous Scale...See MoreLemon Magnolia Dieback
Comments (15)The only reason I can think of for a grafted magnolia (if it is one) to have such a non-specific label is that somewhere along the production line labels were lost or mixed up and generic "yellow magnolias" were offered at a bargain price to retail outlets. More importantly, the assertion above that yellow magnolias are "weak plants" and unsuitable for Z5 because they suffer from something called being "far out on the genetic scale" is simply not true. There are very large specimens of Elizabeth and Butterflies at the U. of ME trial gardens in Z5a which periodically experiences Z4 lows. Newer yellow hybrids are also doing well there and in many other Z5 locations. These include Golden Gift, Sunsation, Miss Honey Bee, Judy Zuk and Yellow Bird. Yellow Bird in particular seems well adapted to cold conditions because of its hardiness and late bloom period which avoids most spring frosts. Planting in places not subject to strong winds is helpful for all magnolias as is adequate soil preparation and close attention to watering in the first few years. It would be a shame if gardeners avoided these lovely trees because of a mistaken notion that they cannot be grown in Z5....See More
PROCaldwell Home & Garden
7 years agoSmivies (Ontario - 5b)
7 years ago
wisconsitom
7 years agoSmivies (Ontario - 5b)
7 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
7 years agoSmivies (Ontario - 5b)
7 years agosam_md
7 years ago
So the scale is a sap feeder, it excretes honeydew and that's what attracts the bees, got it. It was getting dark but I could make out that the bees, wasps, flies and ants were having a feeding frenzy. This must really stress the tree which otherwise looks fine.The tree is only about 12' tall. My plan is to go over the tree with dormant oil next month. If I see beneficial insects such as ladybugs I will wait 'till later on.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
7 years agobrandon7 TN_zone7
7 years ago
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7