Hello I have a beutiful black cherry tree that is full of aphids and think it is killing my tree does anyone have an idea on how to get rid of them? I am willing to try anything thank you. Leo
Depending on the size of your tree I would try just spraying the branches with lots of water from your hose with a nozzle set on a moderately strong setting. Gentle enough to not actually bruise or tear the leaves but still fairly forceful. Even with a fairly large tree you can stand on a ladder or climb around in the tree with a good trigger sprayer and the hose tied on with a rope. If you are able to get a within a few feet of the leaves plain water will knock most of the aphids off or injure them so that they die or don't reproduce. Doing this will also damage or knock off some cherries but if the infestation is as severe as you suggest the the plant is too stressed to be making many cherries anyway. If you watch out for aphids and do this a couple of times early in the season you will likely keep any aphid problem at a minor level which a healthy tree can handle. Insects often target weaker trees so if your tree is badly affected it may be a sign that itis stressed in other ways as well. Make sure it is mulched, has adequate watering, sufficient light etc. so that it is like a healthy person whose system can easily handle the occassional cold or flu.
