What Are The White Fuzzy Things Floating All Over Cartersville?

Q: What are the white fuzzy things floating all over Cartersville? 

A: They are hackberry woolly aphids. Paul Pugliese, University of Georgia Extension agent in Bartow County, says “We had lots of rain this year. This equaled more sap flow and more aphid activity. We have them every year, but this year is exceptional.” Still unexplained is why other parts of metro Atlanta have seen minimal hackberry aphids this year. Although the aphids are numerous, all you can do at this point is wash them off any surface where they accumulate. Consider treating your hackberry (sugarberry) trees with a systemic insecticide next May, after the trees bloom.

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