What kind of insect causes white filaments on the leaves of my Japanese Maple tree?
There are white spots in a symmetric oval pattern on the bottom of the leaf. All around the area of spots are white filaments that form a tent of hair over the area. On some of the leaves, there is a little white, winged bug slowly crawling around.
could be whitefly…
Insecticides have only a limited effect on whiteflies.
and very many of the usual insecticides are terrible for a Japanese Maple…. try everything else, first… from removing leaves to blasting them with water hose…. don’t experiment with this or that… those things can be deadly to a J. Maple…. especially soapy sprays!!…. hang on, I’ll find something you can use besides the yellow stickies…..
some reading here..
found this tidbit..
There are some plants that cannot tolerate neem oil soap under any conditions. They include bleeding heart, Crown of Thorns, Gardenia, Horse Chestnut, Jade Plant, Japanese Maple, Lantana, Mountain Ash, and Sweetpeas.
and this…
Another method, believe it or not, is earthworm feces, also known as earthworm castings. Put cupfuls around your endangered plants and turn the soil over a bit. Water away as usual, and you should be whitefly free in no time.
this discussion has a good systemic suggestion… and a few other good ideas for help with problems on a Japanese Maple….
it might be useful to become a member there and contact a couple of the guys for more info and helps…..