Question
I live in Charlotte, NC.  I have a crepe myrtle that has had two very bad years of pest infestation.  I have researched and believe that I have crepe myrtle aphids with the honeydew, sticky stuff all over the leaves.  We have sprayed it twice with triazicide and, because the leaves are black in areas, a spray for black mold.  The tree looks terrible with very little flower growth this year.  What else can we do to eliminate these pests and save our tree.  We have also noticed that since this began last year the bark has turned grayish-black and is now peeling off to reveal the smoother, lighter color that we are accustomed to seeing on a crepe.  Is this normal?  Thanks for your insight and help.  Kellie

Answer
If there are new aphid  signs (new dripping of excrement or the presence of soft bodies on the leaves)-I would continue spraying the insecticide every 5 days. Make sure you spray both sides of the leaves. There is no need to spray for the sooty mold--it is only growing on the honeydew produced by the aphids and will go away after the aphids are controlled. The bark peeling is normal for crepe myrtles.