For whatever reason, my office has seen an explosion of homeowners bringing in branches covered in cottony maple scale. I believe 100% of the cases to be on either silver maple (Acer saccharinum) or ...

Residents in Mount Prospect have been wondering about a sticky black soot-like substance coating their outdoor surfaces. Turns out, it's actually secretions from a bug. The stick residue has been ...

Q: Everything under one of my large potted plants on the patio is turning black. What isn’t black is sticky. What is wrong with this plant? A: From the pictures you sent me, we know that the black ...

Alias: Cottony maple scale. This is the most un-bug-like insect you will come across. Quite often it is mistaken as some sort of fungus or scab that grows on the side of a plant. The female nymphs of ...

“I want to get rid of mealybugs on my 20-year-old ponytail palms. Is there any way to save the plants?” asks Birds & Blooms reader Deborah McCullough of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Horticultural ...