My trees are leafing out and I’ve noticed a little bug on my shishigashiras. Any idea what it is and how should I remove them? They seem to be getting tended to by small black flies. Thanks in advance.
If you found it and its friends on the underside or the petiole of a new leaf, they are probably aphids. They are usually greenish, but sometimes darker colors similar to your find. If aphids, they can be easily knocked off with a gentle jet from your garden hose and also are easily squished-in-place or wiped off and then squished between your fingers. Note that one doesn't need to squeeze so hard as to damage the leaf they are on if you are squishing-in-place. They are, all in all, a rather harmless pest, but they definitely can disfigure your leaves if not tended to. They are farmed by ants, so you will often find ants streaming up and down a stem to where they are. Aphids are a sucking insect, they insert their little stylet mouth parts into the phloem where the sugars from photosynthesis flow out of the leaf. They excrete an amount of this sugar as 'honeydew' which is what the ants are after. Eliminating ants will prevent further infestation. If aphids are getting out of hand, any insecticide targeted for sucking insects such as scale will also take care of them. NEEM works well for scale and whitefly but I've seen claims that NEEM is not good with Japanese maples. I don't know the truth of this, but regardless of what pesticide you might choose, should the need arise, test it on a test branch first. One does not want a cure that is worse than the disease!. I've never had to resort to this, myself.
No ants nearby. They are only on new leaves. I was hoping there was some sort of spray I could use. They are too numerous to guarantee I squish them all. I also don’t want to harm the new leaves. Does anyone recommend soap and water? If yes, what mix? Thanks.
I’d also be curious to hear if anyone has tried or has an opinion on ladybugs as a treatment option. Thanks.
Ladybugs can be good if you're in a sheltered place. For me, they get blown away. But aphids come out weeks before ladybugs, where I am anyway. I'm crushing a huge amount of aphids on large buds just now. They're easier to get rid of (or mostly) before the leaf opens out completely.
Yeah. I’m squishing and spraying water daily. I may do a soapy water test. I also ordered some lady bugs for fun/testing.
For years, I used a cleaner called Advanage (no T) that was sold in concentrate door to door. It was so free of 'junk' that the demonstrator would drink some. I moved and ran out but have found it on Amazon. I get aphids that are black on my Orido Nishiki every spring. Just been out there spraying today and glad to have this stuff.
I have seen people use a screen or light weight frost cloth with band around the pot to keep them contained for a few days in a tent like structure. This way they eat the aphids before flying away. Protect from afternoon sun so they stay cool. Release in early morning or evening for the best chance they stay in your yard. Put a couple soaked cotton balls on surface of soil as a ladybug water source if you decide to keep them contained in the tent for a few days. Good luck!
