Q: When I brush against my melaleuca tree I sometimes get yellow stains on my clothes and skin. Why? How do I remove these stains?

A:  Immature melaleuca weevils, or larvae, are small and slug-like. They exude an orange-yellow slime that coats their bodies. It is made of essential oils from the melaleuca leaves they eat and it helps protect them from predators like the red imported fire ant. Unfortunately the slime stains cloth and skin a bright yellow. Rubbing alcohol will remove it from skin. For suggestions on removing it from clothing, see the information sheet on melaleuca stain removal (48KB pdf).

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