What can you do about it?

Aphids

Green aphids prefer to attack the soft shoot tips of the boxwood, on which they multiply extremely rapidly and colonize neighboring plants within a very short time. The animals can jump far and so wander off one Boxwood to the next, but usually do not change the plant species. Typical features of an infestation with the box tree aphid are:

• In particular, the leaves at the tips of the shoots deform like a spoon.
• Shoot tips can curl up like cabbage.
• White, fluffy spots can be seen on the leaves.
• It is easy to remove wax wool that is supposed to protect the larvae.

Aphid larvae hatch between April and May and develop into adults within a few weeks. These in turn lay new eggs in August, which then protect the next generation over the winter for the coming year. Typical side effects of an aphid infestation are, for example:

• leaves sticky from honeydew
• increased occurrence of ants, which literally milk the aphids due to the honeydew
• sometimes black coating on the leaves, which is a sooty fungus

Fight aphids

Infested shoot tips should be cut off during the larval development period between April and May disposed of with household waste will. There are also a number of tried and tested home remedies that are effective against aphids. Spray cures with cooled black tea or a mixture of whole milk and water are useful for less severe infestation.

Scale insects

The leaves and shoots of the boxwood change color Brown and dry up Apparently for no reason, you should take a close look at the underside of the leaves: If elongated, small and dark-colored bumps can be seen here, it is the Comma scale. Here, too, the animals overwinter as an egg on the plant, only to hatch as a larva in the following spring. Oily preparations based on neem or rapeseed oil have proven effective as control measures.