What symptom is associated with lace bug feeding on azalea leaves?

What symptom is associated with lace bug feeding on azalea leaves?

• A. White stippling on leaf tops.
• B. Holes through leaves.
• C. Sticky honeydew on leaves.
• D. Dark necrotic spots on leaves.

Answer: (A)

Lace bugs feeding on azalea leaves cause a distinctive white stippling on the upper surface. They insert mouthparts into the leaf tissue and suck out sap, which damages epidermal cells and leaves behind tiny white specks that look like stippling. This spotting is best recognized on the leaf tops and often becomes more noticeable as the insect population grows, sometimes leading to overall leaf yellowing or decline. Holes through leaves come from chewing pests, not lace bugs. Sticky honeydew indicates sap-sucking insects like aphids or whiteflies that excrete sugary droplets, which lace bugs don’t typically produce in the same way. Dark necrotic spots are usually associated with diseases or other types of leaf damage, not the fine stippling caused by lace bug feeding.

Lace bugs feeding on azalea leaves cause a distinctive white stippling on the upper surface. They insert mouthparts into the leaf tissue and suck out sap, which damages epidermal cells and leaves behind tiny white specks that look like stippling. This spotting is best recognized on the leaf tops and often becomes more noticeable as the insect population grows, sometimes leading to overall leaf yellowing or decline.

Holes through leaves come from chewing pests, not lace bugs. Sticky honeydew indicates sap-sucking insects like aphids or whiteflies that excrete sugary droplets, which lace bugs don’t typically produce in the same way. Dark necrotic spots are usually associated with diseases or other types of leaf damage, not the fine stippling caused by lace bug feeding.