Know the signs of bay tree sucker damage before it affects your shrub
Image: Laurus nobilis from Thompson & Morgan
Is your bay tree showing signs of distress? If the leaves appear damaged or diseased, bay tree suckers may have set up home in your garden. Here’s how to deal with that.
Bay Suckers are probably the cause. These are sap-sucking insects which are active in the summer months. The symptoms are yellowing leaf margins which become thickened and curled.
Small but mighty, these psyllid can cause significant damage to your bay trees
Image: Katja Schulz
The bay tree sucker (Trioza alacris) is a psyllid - a type of sap-sucking bug that looks like a pale brown aphid (about 2mm in length).
Adult suckers emerge from hibernation in the spring, laying eggs which hatch into scaley larvae that produce lots of white, wooly wax.
The nymphs from bay tree suckers are very obvious to spot
Image: RHS/R.Scase
Bay sucker damage is easy to spot. Here are the signs:
Bay tree suckers feed exclusively on the sap of bay leaves.
Keep pests numbers down by encouraging ladybirds into bay trees
Image: Paul Reeves Photography/Shutterstock
As these insects are usually hidden inside curled leaves, topical insecticides are unlikely to have much effect on controlling populations. Here are some more effective ways to control bay tree suckers:
© 2023 Thompson & Morgan. All rights reserved. A division of Branded Garden Products Limited.
Sign up for exclusive offers!