Our crepe myrtle bark is whitish spots, losing leaves and dropping sap.

Question

For 15+ years, our two crepe myrtles by the driveway have been just gorgeous, but a couple of months ago, I noticed some whitish spots all over the bark. Then, we began noticing the stickiness on the driveway. The leaves are few and it looks like BOTH trees are dying. I don’t notice the whitish spots as much now. We live in DFW, Texas, so it IS hot! We would certainly appreciate ANY ideas as to what you think might be wrong with them.

Answer 1

It sounds like you have aphids. Treat the tree with a pesticide. I personally like neem oil because it is systemic, so you don’t have to get every nook and cranny of the tree for it to kill all the aphids on the tree.