Question by Gary M.
I have noticed that on my acacia there are little white balls approximately 8mm in diameter attached to the stem and they are multiplying. They have a black dot on top and fluid inside. Could you solve this mystery?
Sarah's answer
Hi Gary,
It would seem you have wattle tick scale which has a presence in your area and it is sucking the sap out of your tree. It comes in on the breeze so you can't really stop it arriving and there isn't anything registered to treat it. But you can get rid of them by popping on a pair of gloves and squishing them or scrubbing them off with a soft brush, even a strong jet from the hose could dislodge them.
If the problem is particularly bad you can prune off the affected branches. There are natural predators that will eat them, but ants can encourage them by farming them for their honeydew so it helps to control the ants, if you can. I hope this helps and you are able to return your trees to good health.
Cheers Sarah
