Jasmine Tree_sticky+flying insect

Hi everyone!

i acquired a beautiful Jasmine tree in september. It used to be outside and now its inside. It has a great amount of sunlight but not too much. I would say about a month ago, we discovered that the floor around it was sticky and i looked closely and could see small balls of sticky things. I went away for 3 weeks so i couldnt try to understand where those stickiness came from. But now im back and I want to fix this!

I also noticed this morning, for the first time some small flying insects around it. I looked all over the forum, and i cant find anything. Everyone says it could be scale or mealybugs. But what im finding on the tree really doesnt look like scale or mealybugs. The 3rd picture is one of the insects. They are all over the branches/leaves.

Please help!

i have other plants, but they are about 15-20 feets from it. Should i be worried??

Thanks a lot in advance!

loft gardener

also, i already looked at that:
http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=22616
i dont think its the same thing.... no?

 

Might be Diaphorina citri, Asian Citrus Psyllid. Your tree is Murraya paniculata and this pest is known to attack plants in that genus.

 

Thanks junglekeeper!

But what can I do? Is it too late to rescue my tree?

Please help!! I love that tree!

 

I don't have personal experience with this pest. If you think this is what you're dealing with then at least now you have some names for researching solutions.

 

Yes, its definetly Diaphorina citri, Asian Citrus Psyllid.

I did find few solutions, but none of them can be applied to a single tree nor a house plant. All the solutions are for groves and its only possible for acres at a time of trees...

Does anyone knows how I cure my tree from the Asian Citrus Psyllid?

Please!

 

I don't know either, but I will suggest that the Montreal Botanical Garden has a number of citrus plants in their glasshouses. Perhaps the horticulturist or outreach specialist there can provide an answer?

 

According to this (.pdf) document, under the heading ACP Suppression in Noncommercial Settings,

Are there any indications as to where the plant was imported from, perhaps on a label? (I would guess Florida.) This is a nasty pest for citrus growers as it is a vector for transmission of citrus greening.

 

Ok, i will try to find that.

I bought it from an old lady who had 7 of them in her house for more than 16 years...

It really does sounds nasty. Everything I read is very scary and I really dont want it to spread outside my home... eventough there isnt any citrus groves around Montreal, Qc.

Do you think it is worth the effort? Its such a beautiful tree...

 

It is a nice looking tree and worth saving in my opinion. Insecticidal soap has worked for me against scale and spider mite. However persistence is the key; all leaf and stem surfaces must be sprayed and each application must be followed up with another in 7-10 days until there is no sign of the pest. Horticultural oil is reportedly more effective against the same pests but I have not tried that.

You may want to make a posting in the Citrus forum with a link to this thread. Readers there may have suggestions since this pest appears to primarily attack citrus.

 

If you put the plant in your bathtub or shower before spraying, at least insecticidal soap won't harm anything - as far as I know.