Bark Lice Infestation Hits Southwest Florida Trees

Bark Lice have taken to trees in Southwest Florida, covering trunks and branches in a tight silk-like webbing. The tiny insects are very hard to see, but their silky web can cover large parts of your tree. Now before you call an exterminator, relax. It's completely ok. This is actually a good thing.

The tree in the pictures is my tree, in my front yard at my home in Southwest Florida. I first noticed this silk like webbing over the weekend while I was walking my dog. All the neighborhood dogs hit this tree, so she does too. It's a dog thing. The crazy part is - the webbing wasn't on the tree on Saturday, but then on Sunday, large parts of the tree were covered in it. These bugs move fast!

I was pretty rattled when I saw this and my first thought was "am I going to lose this tree?" So I went inside to look this up. I came across a blog from Evan Anderson on the University of Florida website. In his article, he wrote "If you come across a tree trunk coated in silk, chances are you’re looking at the work of a bark louse." And that this is actually a good thing.

Bark lice aren't there to eat the tree, however, they are there to eat all the stuff on the tree. Things like lichen, moss, algae, and dead bark all fit into the meal plan of bark lice. Lichen is that greenish fungus looking stuff you'll see on the shaded part of your tree. That stuff is pretty harmless, too, but it's gonna get eaten up with the rest when the bark lice get to work.

Because having a tree die in your front yard can be an expensive ordeal, I wanted to make sure so I called the University of Florida to send my pictures to Evan.

Evan Anderson is a Horticulture Agent in Walton County, Florida. So, he knows bugs. He continued, "there really aren't any other critters I know of that would do anything similar. The insects themselves might be very hard to see, and they don't clean up the webs after themselves. But if people see that going around, it's nothing to worry about." Mr. Anderson then added, "Bark aphids, on the other hand, might look similar, and can harm plants."

According to Anderson, "Bark lice spin their webbing as protection from predators." The bark lice travel in huge colonies and form huge webbing to keep the herd safe. They can't do their job if they've got birds or bigger bugs coming after them, so the web is there to keep them from being eaten. Once they clean the tree of all the stuff they want, the colony will move on. Possibly to your neighbor's tree, so this may be some good information to share.

Let the bark lice do their work, they'll move on themselves. The webbing will eventually drop away, but if you want, you can spray it off with a hose once the colony clears out. Expect to see webbing like this popping up on trees across Southwest Florida, so let others know that you don't need to call an exterminator. There's no need to panic. But, if I had known they were coming to my neighborhood I'd have taken some "before" pictures so we can see how well they do. So, everything is fine - It was nice to have a happy ending to this story.

Florida is known for its beautiful beaches and resorts. After all, Florida is the Sunshine State. But, if you're looking for some more underrated, and less busy, Florida beaches, then you also have some options. The major beaches are often filled with tourists, so finding some of the more underrated Florida beaches may be just what you need for a quiet getaway.

Before we get to the most underrated Florida beaches to visit, let's talk about the amazing water areas that Florida has to offer. Florida is one of the boating and fishing capitals of the world. As VisitFlorida.com points out, the state has more than 7,700 lakes, 11,000 miles of rivers, 2,276 miles of tidal shoreline and has been home to more than 900 world fishing records. That tops any other state or even country. How wild is to to think that Florida has created more fishing records than even any other country? It shows just how rich the state is when it comes to our water.

Florida also has more than 700 freshwater springs, and 27 are classified as first-magnitude springs, which is more than any other state. A few other special things about Florida is that John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on Key Largo was America's very first underwater state park. Also, the fishing village of Cedar Key is known for having the best clam chowder in America. So, if you have a craving for clam chowder, that's the place to go.

A separate article from VisitFlorida.com notes that Florida beaches are known for being very clear, but "it varies from week to week, and even from day to day depending on the amount of sunlight, the temperature, the amount of rainfall, the wind speed and direction, water currents and surf." They add that Florida has some very clear and beautiful beaches on the Gulf of Mexico and on the Atlantic Ocean. For clear water ost days, try "northwest Florida beaches in and around Panama City Beach, Destin, Fort Walton Beach, and Pensacola; southwest Florida beaches on Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key and Siesta Key."

I love that fact that you can enjoy Florida beaches any time of the year. I mean, contrary to what people outside of the state think, it can get cold here in the winter. But, it's rarely too cold to sit on the beach with a sweatshirt on and watch the sunset. Read on for underrated Florida beaches to get on your radar.

Fort Myers Beach still has a good amount of damage from the hurricane, but Margaritaville is open, so you'll find plenty to do there. Situated on Estero Island, Fort Myers Beach is one of the state's most underrated beaches. At Fort Myers Beach, you'll find beautiful, white-sand beaches and gorgeous sunsets.

Make sure to visit Siesta Key here, as well as Sarasota Gay Beach and Crescent Beach. Just south of Tampa Bay, Sarasota is a lovely beach town that is especially popular during the holidays. You'll find lots of local shopping opportunities here.

St. George Island State Park is located on a barrier island fronting the legendary Apalachicola Bay. It's a great place to gaze at the stars. Note that starting March 1, 2025, the campground at Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park will be closed for an expansion project.

If you head to Santa Rosa Beach and want to find some really special, and secret, beaches, try Blue Mountain Beach and Grayton Beach State Park. This beach town is less crowded than most, which makes it a low-key getaway.

Pensacola Beach is located on a 40-mile barrier island, Pensacola Beach, and has beautiful, translucent waters. It's a really small town, so it's much less crowded than other beaches. It's a hidden gem.

If you don't want to go too far, do some digging and visit one of the closest beaches to you, that you haven't visited yet. This is one of my favorite things to do. Maybe you'll find a new favorite beach super close to home.