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itsmekarak2

Azalea Bug Infestation

8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago

Hi everyone! I'm in need of expertise far grander than my own.

I have two encore azalea bushes that I newly planted this past spring. One is thriving and the other is dying. So I looked high and low all over that plant looking for the typical azalea pests like scales, lace bugs, caterpillars, mites, etc. with no
success. Then I decided it must be coming from the roots so dug below the soil
and voilà – bugs everywhere! In a 3" x 3" area I counted around 30 bugs. They're very hard to see in the ground, so I put some on a white paper towel and put them in a bag so you can see better. Interestingly enough, the other azalea bush, even below the soil is perfectly fine without a single bug in sight.

So the
question is, what type of bug are we dealing with and is there any hope of
salvaging it?

Any help you can offer is greatly appreciated!

Thanks, Kara

Comments (4)

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Kara, those are pill bugs (aka sow bug, roly poly). They feed on all types of organic matter, including fungi, decaying vegetation and live seedlings. I've seem them at night on flowers, damaging petals. Other than disfiguring some flowers, I've never seen them cause real damage to something larger than seedlings. Which doesn't mean they couldn't...

    But I wonder if something else is causing your azaleas decline, and they are taking advantage of decomposing roots.

    ETA: Your video doesn't play for me, but your photo depicts pill bug

  • 8 years ago

    morz8 is correct on both counts. These are pill bugs and they are not what's causing the decline of this azalea even though they may be taking advantage of decaying roots. Going by the photo itself, this looks very much like the results of a severe lacebug infestation. You might not be able to see any living bugs at this point, but if the leaf underside show the typical speckling from lacebug excrement, that is what you are most likely dealing with. Serious infestations several years in a row can eventually kill an azalea but new leaves emerge undamaged. Your county extension service can instruct you in how to keep them that way.

  • 8 years ago

    Thank you both for your words of wisdom. I apologize for my late response...I was called away unexpectedly on business and just now returning. However, I'm thrilled to hear that the azalea won't die.


    I ended up carefully cutting it out of the ground - I went out a full foot or more from the base of the plant in hopes I wouldn't be cutting many roots. Since I just planted it in the spring, the roots hadn't spread out that far yet; and by pulling it out of the ground, I was able to isolate it in a separate container and dust it with diatomaceous earth in hopes it would kill anything that I could or couldn't see.


    That was two weeks ago and It's still holding on...just not bouncing back. Can either of you make a suggestion on what I should do to eradicate these lacebugs? Is there a fertilizer I can give it to help the plant recover? Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you again!

  • 8 years ago

    Timing is very important in treating for lace bug control. If you limit the first generation of the pest, life will be much easier thereafter. That's why your county extension service or state agriculture department is your best guide as to when to first spray next spring. They can also advise as to what sprays are likely to be most effective. Lace bugs are ubiquitous, so complete eradication is not a realistic goal. Effective control is.

    This is the wrong time of year to expect plants to bounce back. You're also going to have to decide if you want to keep the azalea in a pot all winter or replant it. All in all, replanting is probably easier and better for the plant. Do not use fertilizer in the fall and not in the spring either unless there's a clear need for it as indicated by a soil test.



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