Ask A Scientist© Botany Archive

name       Jeanne
status     other
age        30s

Question - I have two large old cotton woods on my property. Recently
I have noticed an infestation of some kind. Most of the leaves have a
bubble type growth on each leaf where the leaf meets the stem. I suspect
this is a parasite as the leaves have several holes in them. I have not
seen a broken casing yet, but suspect this is a cacoon of some sort or
an egg pouch. Have you seen anything like this before? Is there anyway
to prevent this?
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Dear Jeanne:

Insect galls probably due to aphids:
http://entowww.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/L-1299.html

aphid control:
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/gh-aphid.html
ladybugs for insect control:
http://www.biconet.com/biocontrol/ladybug.html

Sincerely,

Anthony R. Brach, Ph.D.
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