I live in Southern Ontario and I have 2 cherry trees that I planted 2 years ago. Last year I had no fruit and this year there are a few cherries beginning to grow however the leaves at the ends of the branches have curled and have black "gunge" on them. Today I noticed that there a lot of black and orange bugs which appear to look like caterpillars that are about 1/2 inch long. I am now guessing the black stuff was the eggs and now they are hatching. What are these bugs? Will they damage the fruit? How do I get rid of them? Your help is greatly appreciated.
Difficult to say without seeing a picture, but I suspect that your caterpillars are in fact ladybug larvae feeding on the aphids at the ends of the branches of your trees. Getting rid of them them would be the worst mistake you could make.
