What's this?

[alldigging]

Bug on a leaf. Curled up leaves.

What to do? I assume washing them off would help.




And yuck my nails are gross!

[hamamelis]

Looks like some kind of mealybug to me? Not sure though, there's a lot of insects out there!

[donnakebab]

Looks like one of these,

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...JYa6kEMVZW-Lso

Apparently a Rosy Apple Aphid.

What's it on?

[FB.]

Oh, a mystery quiz.
Guess the problem without being told what plant it is.

I'd guess at an apple leaf, with a rosy-leaf-curling aphid (Dysaphis devecta) crawling across it.

Treatment:

Not required if the plant is growing well. The plants vigour, its defences and predators will usually deal with them (ladybird larvae, lacewing larvae, hoverfly larvae).

Water jet or soapy water if the plant is struggling.

[alldigging]

It's an apple!

[donnakebab]

Oh bliss. A problem solved!

[FB.]

Or it could just be a rosy apple aphid, rather than rosy leaf curling aphid.

But still an aphid and healthy trees don't need treatment. Water jet or soapy water for weak plants.

[alldigging]

I might go wash them off as it's got a fair few on!
Ta chuck!

[piskieinboots]

As to your nails - you wanna see mine!!

[chris]

Why waste water when a thumb and finger works just as well

[rustylady]

It's an apple!

So why didn't you tell us that to start with?

[FB.]

Why waste water when a thumb and finger works just as well

In fairness, Chris, apple leaves infested and curled by aphids tend to get quite brittle and break up if manhandled, so a spray of water or soapy water means less risk of breaking the leaves and further weakening a struggling plant.

Leaves which have been badly curled by aphids often get dropped by the plant in due course if the plant is adequately vigorous, and it grows multiple new shoots - often a shoot from every leaf which dropped. Kind of over-compensating for aphid damage by a huge burst of shoot growth. Sometimes aphid attacks on shoot tips can be handy to encourage branching along that shoot.

[binley100]

As to your nails - you wanna see mine!!

and mine.........and not forgetting the ingrained dirt especially on forefinger and thumb

[veggiechicken]

The way this is going, we'll be posting photos of our nails, just to see who has the grottiest (me, me, me!)

[alldigging]

So why didn't you tell us that to start with?

Cos I hadn't dug the sheet out with the tree plan on!