How do you treat crape myrtle bark scale? Experts share remedies and tips

correction

In an earlier version of this article, the last name of a Smithsonian Gardens arborist was incorrectly stated. He is Jacob Hendee, not Jacob Hender. The article has been corrected.

The crape myrtle bark scale has crept into the D.C. region in recent years. The damage caused by this tiny bug, a relatively new pest from Asia, was first noticed by entomologists from Texas A&M University in Texas around 2005 and has moved steadily east and north.

Forestry experts and scientists are working to eliminate the insect or at least limit its damage. For the most part, it doesn’t kill the trees. But it does cause problems.

Here’s what experts Jacob Hendee, an arborist for the Smithsonian Gardens in D.C., and Yan Chen, professor of medicinal plant physiology at Louisiana State University, have to say about treatment and prevention:

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