Q: I have a Burr Oak tree that has been planted for several years and I recently noticed that the color of the leaves is off, the new growth seems to look good but the older leaves look kind of green/brown and have tiny spots all over them. Is there a problem that I should be concerned about or not?
A: This year seems to be the year of the bug, the old folk tail about a nice cold winter killing off the bugs is just that, it only kills the weak ones and leaves the strong ones to multiply. What you are seeing is an infestation of a bug called a Lace Bug, not Lace wing but Lace Bug. I normally see these pests on Lantana plants and some times on Texas Sage. But this year they seem to have expanded the menu. If the new growth looks good and you do not see any spots or damage to it then the infestation may have run its course. If you are seeing more little bugs or spots on the new growth then if the tree is small enough you can treat with a good all-purpose insect control spray either conventional or organic. But if the tree is large all I can tell you is that the problem is not seriously damaging to the tree, if will make it look bad but it will be fine.
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