You may have noticed thousands of little black dots on your house or the house of someone you know. No, it’s not bumble bee droppings, fly poop, or mold. It’s Artillery Fungus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is it? Where does it come from?

It’s a mushroom fungus. A fungus that thrives on wet, decaying natural organic material. Like mulch! You know, the mulch we love to put in the flower beds all around our house!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If it lives in mulch, how does it get on the house?

Well, it’s called Artillery Fungus for a reason. The fungus spores living in the mulch can actually eject peridioles (scientific name of the black dots) 20 feet in the air! If these sticky little dots land on your house, they can be almost impossible to remove.

What to do?

Prevention:  Do not use mulch around your house. Stone, rock, artificial mulch, or ground cover type plants are your best bet. Another option is to use pine straw.  It’s not fungus proof, but resists fungus better than mulch and is cheaper than rocks or artificial material.

Removal:  If you see the little black dots on your siding, don’t wait. Try to clean them off right away – the longer they are there, the harder they are to remove.  Unfortunately, there is no easy way to remove Artillery Fungus spots once they are stuck to a surface. Some have had success with vinegar, Listerine, or the Magic Eraser (and lots of elbow grease).

We hope this information will help someone avoid this common problem.

Heritage Pressure Washing is an exterior cleaning company that provides pressure washing services to the Jacksonville, North Carolina area.