Disease and pest diagnosis is impossible without actually examining the affected plant. However, based on the symptom of oozing pitch you described, these Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir) could be suffering from one (or more) of the following pests:

Fir Beetle:
http://www.southwestcoloradofires.org/Douglas-fir%20Beetle%20FIDL.pdf
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue/swofidsc/beetles/douglasfir.html

Pitch Moth

Twig Weevil

For a proper diagnosis you could hire an arborist. Referrals can be found here:
http://www.pnwisa.org/calist.html

Or you could take many photos and a plant sample to a Master Gardener clinic. This is a free service run by volunteers trained by WSU faculty. Clinic locations and times can be found at this link.

Season All Season
Date 2008-01-03
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First you need to get an accurate diagnosis of your problems. You can try taking a sample of the problem (including insects, damage, and a healthy section of plant if possible) to a local nursery. Assuming you live in or near Seattle, you can also take the samples to a Master Gardener clinic. If they don’t know what’s wrong, ask them to send the samples to the diagnostic lab at the Center for Urban Horticulture. A third option is to send the sample to the Washington State University Extension pathology laboratory in Puyallup. It is best to go through the Master Gardeners first so you will not be charged. If you send the sample to the WSU lab yourself, there will be a fee.

To locate your nearest Master Gardener clinic, go to this link:
http://mastergardener.wsu.edu/mgoc/mgoc.html#

Master Gardener Clinics provide forms for the WSU Extension lab. They ask detailed questions about the problem and the samples. (Forms are also available at the Miller Library.) The forms and plant/insect samples can then be mailed into the WSU Extension lab for information.

Learning about insects is a bit complicated. Here is a link to some information about root weevils.

Meanwhile, most soft bodied insects (like whiteflies) can be controlled with insecticidal soap. According to Common-Sense Pest Control (Olkowski/Daar/Olkowski, 1991, pp.115-116), insecticidal soaps are nontoxic to the user unless ingested in large doses.

You can make insecticidal soap by mixing 1-2T of a mild liquid soap (like Dawn or Ivory) in 1 quart of water. Some people add cayenne or tabasco. A few drops of cooking oil will help the mixture stick to the leaves. Be sure to test a leaf to be sure the mixture does not burn the plant, since some vegetables are tender. (If you are nervous about making your own, there are several varieties on the market.) Be sure to spray the mixture on both sides of the leaves--a light spray is sufficient.

Season All Season
Date 2008-01-10
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We can't definitively diagnose without having a plant sample, but the pests most likely to cause a white, sticky substance are aphids, whiteflies, scale or mealybugs. They won't destroy plants, but can weaken them and allow other problems to surface. Information about house plant pests.

The first four pests described are the ones your jade plant (Crassula spp., and yes, they are succulents) might have. Control methods are discussed toward the end of the information at this site.

Another control method that I have used successfully on my jade plants is Neem Oil. Information on neem oil.

According to the site, it is "an organic control for many pests and is extracted from crushed kernels of the neem tree. Neem oil is biodegradable with very low toxicity. It is both a repellant and a contact killer. Insects that do not feed on treated plant foliage are unharmed; therefore, neem doesn't interfere with the natural balance of the ecosystem. It acts as an insect growth regulator that disrupts the molting process. Neem can be used to control aphids, bagworms, borers, caterpillars, leafminers, lace bugs, thrips, psyllids, mealybugs, and many other insects. It prevents mildew, rusts, leaf spots, botrytis, scab, and other fungal diseases as well."

Re: temperature and repotting
According to The New House Plant Expert (by D. Hessayon, 1991, p. 212), succulents like a difference between day and nighttime temperatures. They like to be kept cool in the winter, with 50-55 degrees F ideal, but as low as 40 is alright. Jade plants should only be repotted when essential. Repotting should occur in the spring; shallow pots rather than deep ones are preferable.

Extensive care information can be found on these websites:
hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1507.htm
www.succulent-plant.com/moneyplant.html

Season All Season
Date 2006-12-08
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The two insects that got a lot of press time and made people really nervous were the Asian Longhorn Beetle and the Citrus Longhorn Beetle. Both are really devastating. Both are quite big.

Here is a link to Washington Department of Agriculture Insect Pest Contacts page.

You may be seeing carpenter ants or termites, but it is extremely difficult to identify insects by description alone. I suggest you take a few of the critters (frozen in a plastic bag) to a Master Gardener clinic. Here is a link to their clinic locations.

Season All Season
Date 2008-01-17
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It is possible that your rose has a problem with insects like thrips, which can cause buds not to open. If you see tunneling in the buds (holes in the petals), it could be caused by beetles. There is also a possibility that a disease is causing the problem. Fungal infections like botrytis blight can result in buds which do not open, but you would probably notice signs of the fungus during warmer temperatures, such as gray-brown fuzzy growth, and blotched petals or drooping buds. Here is information describing various rose problems, from Washington State University Extension.

Here is a description of botrytis blight from University of California, Davis Integrated Pest Management. This is a brief excerpt:
"Botrytis blight, caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea, is favored by high humidity. Affected plants have spotted flower petals and buds that fail to open, often with woolly gray fungal spores on decaying tissue. Twigs die back and large, diffuse, target-like splotches form on canes. Reduce humidity around plants by modifying irrigation, pruning, and reducing ground cover. Remove and dispose of fallen leaves and petals. Prune out infested canes, buds, and flowers. Botrytis blight is usually a problem only during spring and fall in most of California and during summer along coastal areas when the climate is cool and foggy."

The Olympia Rose Society also has information on these potential causes of failed buds. Below is their description of thrips:
"Buds do not open, or flowers are deformed. Petals have brownish yellow streaks and small dark spots or bumps. White and pastel roses are particularly susceptible. Thrips (are) tiny orange insects with elongated bodies. Thrips feed at the bases of rosebuds and on the petals of open flowers. They seem to be attracted to light-colored blossoms."

The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control edited by Barbara Ellis (Rodale Press, 1996) suggests encouraging natural predators of thrips and, if the infestation is severe, spraying weekly with a safer insectidical soap or pyrethrin-based product. This same resource suggests that if your roses have botrytis blight, you will see the buds turn brown and decay instead of opening, and you should pick off and dispose of any diseased buds. They recommend spraying with sulfur once a week during the growing season.

A few things that are always a good idea when growing rose:

• make sure there is good air circulation around your plants
• don't water from above the plants (keep the leaves dry)
• always clean up around the plants--don't let leaf debris or any diseased buds lie on the ground under the rose bushes

This site has many pictures of rose pests and diseases for you to compare with what you are seeing on your plant. Since I cannot diagnose the problem without seeing the plant, I recommend that you take samples of the affected buds to a Master Gardener Clinic.

Season All Season
Date 2008-11-01
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