- Signs of a lice infestation
- Why is the beech wool aphid so harmful?
- How to fight lice on the beech hedge
- Beech mealybugs have an ecological benefit
Beech trees are very robust plants that not many pests can pose a threat to. However, lice can pose a threat to beech hedges. They should definitely be fought, especially when the beeches are still young.
Mealybugs can be a problem, especially for young beech hedges
Signs of a lice infestation
The beech hedge suddenly turns brown. The leaves curl up, wither and eventually fall off. Now at the latest you should be alert and examine the beech for lice. If you see yellowish-white lice on the underside, two to three millimeters long, the beech wool aphid is responsible for the damage.
The beech wool aphid is known by various names:
- Woolly beech louse
- Beech ornamental louse
- beech leaf aphid
- beech wool louse
It owes its name to the excrement it leaves on the leaves. The pests excrete honeydew, which settles on the leaf and resembles small down.
Why is the beech wool aphid so harmful?
There can be several generations of lice on a beech hedge. A louse stays on a single leaf throughout its life.
She attracts other pests with her sticky excretions. Above all, however, fungal spores have unhindered access to the plant via the suction holes, so that sooty dew forms, which also damages the beech.
How to fight lice on the beech hedge
To remove lice on the beech hedge, make a mixture of one part canola oil to three parts water with a squirt of dish soap. Alternatively, prepare a stinging nettle decoction and let it steep for 24 hours before use. It is important that the agent is used on the whole plant, especially on the underside of the leaves.
Carefully collect any fallen leaves and dispose of them in the bin, not on the compost heap!
Beech mealybugs have an ecological benefit
As annoying as the appearance of beech wool lice is, the pests definitely have an ecological benefit.
With the honeydew they excrete, they offer the bees a good source of food and thus help to improve the garden climate.
To prevent lice, you should therefore create good conditions in the garden for natural enemies of lice such as lacewings, ladybugs and hoverflies.
tips
Young beech hedges are particularly at risk because they are not yet so resilient. Old hedges suffer less from the beech wool aphid. Solitary trees easily cope with an infestation.