I wonder what these small, less than a mm, solid black, insects are on my branches? I wonder what kind of lime tree I am growing? Here is the life span of my two trees. The larger and in bloom, is the youngest.
Well, the little black bugs, which are either a beetle or weevil of some sort, are not a good sign - I'd be dousing that tree with insecticidal soaps if I were you.... You can see the damage they're doing to the leaves in pic #3. Sorry, I can't help you on which lime they are exactly. Millet will probably know; he and Mr. Shep are the resident Citrus gurus.
Thanks for the input. I have started a regime of insecticidal soap, ( once every 5 days ?) while insects present.... does that sound correct? I also realized that (3) pictures does not constitute a life span. Picture 1. I purchased two dwarf lime trees from Burgess three years ago. It never mentioned the type of lime. I wondering can it be identified from these pictures? A year later one died off completely, and they shipped a new one. Picture 2. My youngest, has produced flowers for the first time, on either tree at 2.5 yrs old. Will I have to pollinate these flowers myself? Picture 3. And if so when should I? From what I have researched over the past few weeks, I believe my medium of 66% miracle grow potting soil, and 33% peat-moss, is the wrong choice and may explain what I believe to be root rot that cause the first casualty. Although both plants drain well, and never sit in standing water. I have been watching the watering more carefully now. During the summer months the trees are outdoors 24/7. Only brought into an office during the winter months, where constant temperature and abundant sunshine prevail. SO... is the brown / golden patching in the center of the leaves on the previous pictures, from the same insect? Also I am wondering, brown curled tips on random leaves... is a sign of what?
Difficult to be sure but the bugs in the first picture in the first batch remind me of aphids. The presence of such would explain what appears to be honeydew on the leaves.
"The presence of such would explain what appears to be honeydew on the leaves." Is this cause for concern? And how do i resolve that? After one treatment, insects are dead and gone. The oldest tree has dropped all but three leaves, while the youngest continues to bloom. This tree is indoors, will I have to pollinate the flowers for fruit? Can any one tell me the type of lime trees I have?
Yes, aphids are definitely a cause for concern. Insecticidal soap, something like Safer's which is available at your local WalMart, will kill the little nasties right dead.
A similar problem has been reported in the thread Help with two types of insects on Kumquat and Lemon tree | UBC Botanical Garden Forums.
