Hello there, I wonder if anyone can help with this? I have a Acer Fireglow that has been planted for a couple of years. The new leaves have now grown back on after Winter and it looks quite healthy. This morning I was looking at the leaves and noticed that beneath most of them there were clumps of insects - looking more closely these appear to be some kind of small fly. (Please see attached picture). I know the fireglow is generally quite resistant to insect pests and indeed these flies maybe harmless. I'd be very grateful if anyone could advise me on this - The Fireglow is in a spot where it gets plenty of sun away from too much wind. Thanks very much for your assistance.
Hi, they are Aphids, common on Acers at this time of year. They are usually protected by their handlers, the ants, who farm them for the honeydew they produce. They do not normally cause any lasting damage to healthy trees, but the dripping honeydew is unsightly and they may spread diseases from infected plants to healthy ones. I prefer not to use chemical sprays, so my method of control is to squash as many as I can be bothered to with my fingers, and wait for the populations of natural predators (ladybirds etc) to catch up and take care of the rest.
Thank you all for your help - I've used the soapy water technique which seems to have done a pretty good job. I should probably grow some plants that attract ladybirds! Thanks again.
