When nurseries introduced varieties of Japanese taxus, commonly called Japanese yew, it was considered an evergreen beautiful in form and with rich foliage but also hardy and completely pest free.
Within a few years, however, a mealybug began to attack them. This pest is easily eliminated by spraying with a nicotine sulfate solution containing dissolved soap as a spreader or with malathion insecticide.
Taxus Scale
A worse pest is the Taxus scale. To discover the scale, examine the inside branches for bare and dead twigs.
These usually prove that the Japanese scale has been sucking the plant juices. Small, flat, round, brownish-amber scales will appear on young twigs in spring.
To control them, spray them with nicotine sulfate.
A three percent dormant spray of miscible oil is also advisable even before the scale is seen, applied when the temperature is 45° degrees Fahrenheit or over.
Cyclamen and European Red Mites
Both cyclamen mites and European red mites commonly attack yews. Because of their numbers, the persistent drain on the plant juices causes discoloration and, eventually, the death of the leaves.
The presence of either pest is indicated by the fine gray web in which the mites spin over the needles and where they live and breed.
A spray of one of the miticides, such as aramite or malathion, applied when the web or discoloration is first noticed will normally control them.
However, if the infestation is heavy, a second spray of the same material should be applied after 10 days.
Black Vine Weevil
The black vine weevil attacks the roots and is most destructive because its presence is not apparent until the plant begins to lose foliage.
Careful examination of the leaves will disclose the semi-circular holes nipped out by the adults.
Chlordane at 10 pounds to 1000 square feet broadcast under the yew will help to control the weevil.
Many gardeners neglect to provide the necessary plant food, proper soil construction, and sufficient moisture for taxus, thus weakening and making them susceptible to attack by enemies.
44659 by Gertrude Phillips