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missmandylee

Passion flower vine stem pests?

I have several passion vines along a fence and for the first time, I've seen many pod-type things growing on the stem about 6-12"above ground. They are easily removable and judging from the tiny hole on top, there may be a worm or something inside. They also look like extracted teeth :(. I hope whatever this is is not toxic to my 100' wide vine.

Comments (2)

  • karyn1
    11 years ago

    That's a type of scale. Are you by any chance in CA? I'm asking because I'd never seen that variety until I received an infested cutting from someone in CA. They are difficult to eradicate and can eventually kill your vines. Pick off what you can see. Unfortunately the adults aren't susceptible to most (if not all) topical insecticides because of their protective shell. The immature scale is mobile and susceptible to insecticides. It might be possible to smother the adults with a horticultural oil, not sure. They will also easily spread to nearby plants. My infestation was on container plants that weren't that big and I was able to remove them manually over the course of a couple months. Hopefully someone will be able to suggest a solution for the problem.

  • missmandylee Chirafisi
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thank you! I'll give it a shot. I see the scale only on one part of the vine so I think I can pick them off. I forgot to mention that when I smash them, there is a blood-like residue. Maybe it's that tiny red things mixed with some kind of fluid. Nevertheless, I'm going picking. By the way, I live in central Florida.

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