A client brought in this really yucky sample of a camellia. I have never seen a sample with such obvious and such advanced problems. The spider was just along for the ride.
We found out that the sample has both cottony camellia scale and sooty mold. The scale insect makes honeydew which then grows the sooty mold on the leaves.
There are both non – chemical and chemical management options. We used Hortsense for our research and advised the client to remove the shrub. It is too big for the site and he is not happy to keep cutting it back each year.
