What's eating my River Birch?

[nellie923]

Just found some recent damage to some of the leaves on my River Birch (about 1 year old). I see white and black tiny spots. Some of the leaves are distorted (see pics) while others seem to have a white powder on them. Any advice on what this is and how to treat it? Hope the photos are clear enough. I was thinking of hosing it off to see if I could get rid of the stuff.

 

[Chuck]

Just found some recent damage to some of the leaves on my River Birch (about 1 year old). I see white and black tiny spots. Some of the leaves are distorted (see pics) while others seem to have a white powder on them. Any advice on what this is and how to treat it? Hope the photos are clear enough. I was thinking of hosing it off to see if I could get rid of the stuff.

Looks like powdery mildew. There are all kinds of remedies. Google powdery mildew treatment.

 

[nellie923]

Thanks, Chuck, but I now have more info: examination under a loupe reveals tiny black bugs wandering around. I'm guessing the white spots are eggs. One side suggests Whitefly, but they usually don't come around here until late in the season. Meanwhile, I cut off many of the infected leaves/branches and sprayed the rest with water/soap/baking soda spray. I put all the cut branches in the trash.

 

[Chuck]

Thanks, Chuck, but I now have more info: examination under a loupe reveals tiny black bugs wandering around. I'm guessing the white spots are eggs. One side suggests Whitefly, but they usually don't come around here until late in the season. Meanwhile, I cut off many of the infected leaves/branches and sprayed the rest with water/soap/baking soda spray. I put all the cut branches in the trash.

See if you can take a picture of the black bugs.