blight-or-mite---help-please
Ponty
Posts: 5
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Hello, hope someone can help. I returned from extended holiday to find the leaves of my tree/shrub had taken a turn for the worse. The pictures hopefully speak for themselves. Any suggestions as to a) what it is? and b) how to treat it? will be be very helpful. (NB, I pruned the tree before I went away) Thank you!
P.S. showing my ignorance but if anyone can also tell me what the tree is too, I would be very happy! 
Posts
Trunk if that helps.
It looks like some type of woolly aphid judging by the trunk, but I didn't know they attacked (I assume from the photos) laurel. There is a laurel aphid in the US that looks a bit like that.
Thanks for your speedy response Bob - any idea how you can treat it?
....and thanks for identifying my tree by the way!
Ponty, scrub the woolly stuff off of the trunk with a stiff brush - using soapy water will help. If it is woolly aphids, they live in the 'fluff' which they make to protect themselves from predators. I would also prune off all of the affected leaves one by one and burn them or put them in the domestic rubbish bin. I really wouldn't worry too much as laurel (it may be Bay laurel) is a tough plant. Next Spring, keep an eye out for the white fluff appearing and scrub it off whenever you see any.
Thanks Bob - I'll give it a try tomorrow...
Hi, I have just returned from 2 weeks away and my laurel hedge looks like a disaster area, huge numbers of falled brown leaves and leaves on the now 8ft tall plants are twisted and spotted, but not holed or brown, and no sign of aphids. Any ideas please?