What's eating my kentucky wisteria?

Kentucky wisteria shares the same pest complex as other wisterias: aphids on new growth, scale on woody stems, and Japanese beetles in summer. Its hardiness and vigorous regrowth give it good tolerance. Borers are the only pest that can cause lasting structural damage if left unchecked on mature vines.

Masses of small insects on shoot tips; sticky honeydew encourages black sooty mold and causes bud distortion. Blast off with water; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil; limit high-nitrogen fertilizer that promotes lush, aphid-attractive growth.

Hard or soft waxy lumps on bark; heavy infestations cause bark yellowing and progressive branch dieback. Apply dormant horticultural oil in late winter; treat crawlers with insecticidal soap in spring when they emerge.

Skeletonized leaves with veins intact; adults feed in clusters in midsummer and can defoliate sections of the vine. Hand-pick into soapy water; pyrethrin sprays at dusk; milky spore or beneficial nematodes to reduce soil-dwelling grubs.

Frass and sawdust at entry holes in trunk or main branches; tunneling causes dieback of whole shoots or structural failure. Remove and destroy infested canes; prune back to clean wood; maintain plant vigor through adequate irrigation and mulch.