Q. My eucalyptus trees are dripping with honeydew and shedding their leaves. In the last two weeks I've raked bushels of leaves off my lawn. What's wrong?

A. Look all around the county and you'll notice that virtually all the redgum eucalyptus trees are starting to decline, especially those with a southwestern exposure. Our office has been receiving dozens of calls per day inquiring about the problem.

The culprit to blame for this big sticky mess is the tiny redgum lerp psyllid (pronounced sillid). The adult psyllid is similar to an aphid. It's small, sucks sap from leaves, and secretes honeydew, a sugary sweet substance. Baby psyllids use the honeydew to form a protective cap, called a "lerp", which is the conspicuous scale-like cone seen on infested eucalyptus leaves. The insect lives under the lerp for most of its life. The excess honeydew attracts sooty mold, turning the leaves black, or drips down the leaves causing a sticky mess.

Like eucalyptus trees, this pest originally comes from Australia. It has been in California for about five years now and has become increasingly noticeable here in the valley in the last two years. Heavily infested trees will lose leaves because the tree's natural response to this type of pest stress is to drop its' leaves and start over. The psyllid population will decline somewhat when it doesn't have any leaves to feed on. Healthy trees will re-leaf, but the problem with dropping leaves in the heat of summer causes even more sunburn stress and the trees become susceptible to other tree debilitating pests, like the Eucalyptus long horned borer. This boring insect damages tree branches and causes limbs to die.

So what can we do? Not a whole heck of a lot. It is not hard to kill the insects with sharp streams of water, insecticide soaps, horticultural oils, or insecticides, but it is hard to get adequate coverage on such huge trees. An additional problem is the abundance of the pest. Even if you were to clean up your tree, there are so many infested trees that in a short time you are right back where you started. For high value trees the insecticide Merit can be soil applied by a professional applicator, however it is somewhat expensive and it takes 3 to 4 months for the material to move systemically to the top of the tree.

So what can we really do? We encourage people to water (but not over-water) their eucalyptus trees this summer. UC researchers have traveled to Australia to try to locate natural enemies of the redgum lerp psyllid. They have brought back five potential biological control agents, which are now under quarantine to make sure that they do not cause us more harm than good. If it turns out that they can reduce psyllid populations without damage, then they will be reared and released in California. So we just have to cross our fingers and be patient.

We can probably county on nature to help us out a little bit this summer. Lots of predator insects like to eat honeydew, such as lady beetles, big eye bugs, and lacewings, but let's not forget about yellow jackets, mud dauber, and paper wasps. They are capable of flying up into the eucalyptus trees and foraging the leaves for the sweet lerps and the protein of the psyllids. Look for populations of these insects to rise this summer. Most likely by Labor Day the telephone calls will be complaints about wasp stings! Have a happy summer.

Q. "Is there a computer resource for plant and pest information for the Central Valley?"

A. A new tool from the University of California will help garden enthusiasts and landscape professionals diagnose pest and disease disorders in their own gardens. The UC Guide to Solving Garden and Landscape Problems is an interactive problem solver on compact disc. The Statewide Integrated Pest Management Project and Pamela Geisel, UC Horticulture Advisor in Fresno County, developed it. Designed for both Macintosh and PC computers, the CD helps gardeners solve more than 600 common pest and disease problems of fruits, vegetables, and woody ornamental plants. It contains over 2800 screens and 4800 photographs to help identify pests and disorders of more than 40 different fruits and vegetables and 80 ornamental trees.

Solutions emphasize non-chemical pest control and tips to promote good plant health. It also shows the user how to eliminate unnecessary pesticide use and, if necessary, select pesticides that pose minimal risks to human health and the environment. It's a real bargain at only $32. Call the local Master Gardener Office and ask how to purchase your copy.

June 15, 2000