What's eating my fortune's plum yew?

Fortune's Plum Yew (Cephalotaxus fortunei) is a tough, shade-tolerant shrub with few serious pests. Mealybugs and scale insects are the main threats, clustering on stems and undersides of needles. Deer tend to avoid it, unlike true yews. In shaded garden settings, good air circulation reduces the risk of most infestations.

White cottony masses at stem joints and needle bases; sticky honeydew; sooty mould; weakened growth. Dab colonies with isopropyl alcohol on a swab. Spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil. Repeat every 7–10 days for 3–4 cycles.

Brown hemispherical scales on stems; honeydew drip; yellowing foliage; branch dieback in heavy infestations. Dormant horticultural oil spray in late winter. Summer oil applications targeting crawlers. Systemic imidacloprid drench for persistent cases.

Notched leaf margins from adult night feeding; root and stem damage from white C-shaped larvae in containers. Apply nematode drenches (Steinernema kraussei) to soil in late summer/autumn targeting larvae. Sticky barriers on container rims to trap adults.