Native Plants
![](../_images/smarty_plants.gif)
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
![](../_images/mr_smarty_plants_logo_web_200w.jpg)
rate this answer
![](../_images/star_40.gif)
Thursday - July 30, 2015
From: Lexington, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pests, Trees
Title: Pests on Fan Tex Ash
Answered by: Anne Van Nest
QUESTION:
We planted a Fan Tex Ash last year on our property. It's doing very well, but there are a lot of large stink bugs, yellow jackets and red wasps on it daily. We cannot seem to find any information on what is attracting them or what we can safely use to get rid of them.ANSWER:
Fan Tex ash is a grafted cultivar of Fraxinus velutina (Arizona ash). A previous Mr. Smarty Plants answer described the background of the Fan Tex ash.
Ash trees are one of the preferred host trees for stink bugs. They eat the foliage. Bill Cary in an article on stink bugs published in USA Today says, "They tend to like to eat the foliage and seeds of black locust, maple, ash, Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven) and catalpa trees."
But depending on the type of stink bug present, some are beneficial and others detrimental to agricultural crops. Stink bugs, yellow jackets and wasps are being attracted to the ash for some reason so a close up investigation is necessary to see if they are going after the honeydew produced by aphids for example (scale will also produce honeydew that also attracts bees and wasps). So before action is taken, it is important to determine what is attracting the stink bugs, bees and wasps to your tree. If you can't see anything that might be attracting the pests, perhaps a consultation with an arborist will solve the mystery. There is no use spraying a general insectide on the tree unless a pest is identified as doing damage to the ash.
More Pests Questions
Care of butternut trees (Juglans cinerea) with bumpy growths
June 12, 2007 - I have two small butternuts, around 3-4 feet. One has developed very 'bumpy' reddish growths on the leaves that are actually stunting their growth. What do you think it is and what can i do to sto...
view the full question and answer
Texas Mountain Laurel oozing sap in Spicewood, TX.
July 05, 2012 - We have a Texas mountain laurel that seems to be sweating. Oozing sap with no apparent signs of any type of bore holes, or holes made from any birds.
view the full question and answer
Bugs eating new growth on Mountain Laurel shrubs from Dripping Springs TX
April 02, 2013 - What is eating the new growth on my mountain laurel shrubs? One plant has red bugs and the other has black (could they be love bugs?). Is there something I can do to preserve the new growth?
view the full question and answer
Identification of insects on crepe myrtle in Florida
May 22, 2013 - I have large colonies of striped bugs on large crepe myrtle in my backyard. They stay in large groups and have long antennae. There are larger black bugs among the groups that appear to corral and g...
view the full question and answer
Cupressaceae dying in Suffolk Co.NY
October 20, 2012 - I have noticed that all of my Cupressaceae (& others I see in my area) are dying. They turn yellow, then rust & brown til they are everbrowns. what is going on?
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |