If you think this might be an insect infestation, it might help to spray the shrub with an insecticidal soap. These are not generally toxic to people, but they may be effective against certain insect pests, if you apply them soon enough. I have never seen anything like this, but we live in Madison, Wisconsin, so we must have different insect pests.

Thanks for your replies. But the white spots don't look like insects to me, they look more like some kind of mold, they don't move at all. Maybe the quality of the photo didn't help. I should have taken a closer shot. It's been raining for 4 days here in my city, but I don't know if that is enough to create mold on the bushes.

Some scale insects are white and fuzzy and don't move. But their kids do move before the find a new place to live and settle down for the duration of their lives.

Where do you live?
Is the plant indoors or out?

I had a somewhat similar scale insect infestation on our white magnolia last year. They looked like mold also. Never moved, but were just there.

Mold only forms on dead plant material, it's scale, use oil, or soap, every 7 days for the next month. If that doesn't work go hardcore. Use a real insecticide.

I get wholly Aphids on my apple trees a and they look like that.

I spray them with soapy water.

jean001a, I live in southern Brazil. The plant is outdoors. Today I scraped some of the white spots off the branches with a stick. When I pressed them against the ground, they leaked a red substance, kind of like blood. I think it's insects, yes, thanks for all the responses.

I saw a small spider near the scale insects. I hope it will help me get rid of them. Eat them all, spider!

I'd put on some rubber gloves and squish them. Brady

On scale I think all season oil will be more effective than insecticidal soap. Soap is for soft bodied insects like aphids. I agree with mashing all you can. Then spray with oil.

Don't use the oil when berries are on the plant. It makes them ugly and the few I've had like that haven't tasted good.