Prevent tree stress: The best way to prevent mealybugs is to avoid tree stress and irrigate during periods of drought, and ...

This week, gardening columnist Don Kinzler fields questions about brown spots on a houseplant's foliage, how to control mealy bugs, and if an apple tree should be replanted elsewhere.

Answer: Mealy bugs have over taken your desert rose and can quickly cause it to decline. The white cottony look is due to a waxy coating that conceals the insects and their egg masses.

The limes are almost ready to be picked. I have had the tree for four or five years and have had no pest trouble until now. -- J.A.C., Houston A. I believe your problem may be mealybugs or scale.

SUCKING INSECTS: There are a variety of sucking insects that attack citrus trees. One of the most common pests of citrus trees is the citrus whitefly.

The insect's larvae are developing within the swollen area. There is no effective spray for them, but that really isn't critical, because they really don't do any measureable harm to their host trees.

University Of California - Davis. "Tiny Bugs In Mealybugs Have Smaller Bugs Inside Them." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 August 2002. <www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2002 / 08 / 020828062143.htm>.

The fact the tree is dropping leaves is a good sign and may indicate it can survive. If it held the leaves, it would indicate the tree was likely dead. You are doing what is needed to provide support.

You'll see hundreds of different types of galls on oaks alone, and they're common on hackberries, cottonwoods, pecans and other shade trees. No cause for concern.

Like tiny Russian dolls, the mealybugs that infest your houseplants carry bacteria inside their cells that are themselves infected with another type of bacteria. A new study by researchers at the ...