Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
Ficus Tree Problems With Shiny & Sticky Leaves
Ficus Tree Problems With Shiny & Sticky Leaves. The Ficus genus includes approximately 1000 different species of trees and shrubs, many of which are cultivated as indoor ornamentals or landscape plants. Several different insects feed on ficus plants. They often leave a sticky, shiny residue on the leaves.
The Ficus genus includes approximately 1000 different species of trees and shrubs, many of which are cultivated as indoor ornamentals or landscape plants. Several different insects feed on ficus plants. They often leave a sticky, shiny residue on the leaves.
Types
Whiteflies are tiny flying insects with whitish wax-covered wings and bodies. Aphids are small pear-shaped insects that vary in color depending upon the species and what they have been eating. Soft scales range between 0.125 and 0.5 inches around and vary in color, while mealybugs are around 0.125 inches long with oval-shaped, waxy white bodies.
Effects
Whiteflies, aphids, soft scale insects and mealybugs have piercing and sucking mouthparts. They drain sap from ficus foliage and excrete a sticky-sweet liquid substance called honeydew that drips on leaves and stems, giving the foliage a sticky, shiny texture. A black fungus called sooty mold occasionally forms on the honeydew deposits.
Control
You can control whitefly and aphid populations by spraying infested ficus plants with a steady stream of water to dislodge the insects. You can also remove whitefly eggs by hand-picking leaves or vacuuming insects from the foliage, and control scale insects and mealybugs by pruning out infested leaves. Horticultural oils and insecticidal soaps also help control infestations.
