A Tale of Two Trees

And now a word from our HelpLine (yes, this is still a viable way to respond to the gardening concerns of Norfolk residents with great resources from regional Extension services): According to Clemson, several other common landscape plants are susceptible to CMBS infestation. These include pomegranate, persimmon, edible fig, boxwood, American beautyberry (hello!), cleyera, privet, and raspberries. Now is the time to inspect these plants closely for the CMBS, especially if crape myrtles are planted nearby. https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/crapemyrtle-bark-scale/You can also check out a very informative factsheet from NC State: https://currituck.ces.ncsu.edu/2019/03/pest-alert-crape-myrtle-bark-scale/ 

Both these references tell you all is not lost even if you do find an infestation on your crape myrtle. There are cultural and chemical controls available. But if you DO find CMBS, please report it! Easy to do that right here, http://stopcmbs.com/report/.