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Aphids control #774082
Asked October 04, 2021, 7:42 AM EDT
New Castle County Delaware
Expert Response
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On Oct 4, 2021, at 7:43 AM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
Dear James,
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YOUR QUESTION #0044013:
Aphids control
We have lived in Newark Delaware for the past 35 years. Just this past summer we have been getting A very sticky substance on our deck and our deck furniture. Just based on our research we believe it is due to Aphid bugs although we have never had the issue before. We have a white maple near our deck, probably 110 feet tall where the bugs may be feasting. Can you tell us how we might rid ourselves of this issue for now and the future? Thanks for your time.Ask Extension offers one-to-one expert answers from Cooperative Extension/University staff and volunteers within participating Land-Grant institutions across the United States.
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James, Hi. Can I call you to discuss? Please send your cell phone or number so I can give you a call. Just want to be sure it is aphids and not scale insects. The treatment and timing of application would be different.
best regards, Tracy
I tried calling a number of times to the number provided and was unable to contact you. I am unsure what tree you are referencing as a white maple. I suspect you are referencing Acer saccharinum which is also known as a silver maple.
Silver maples are known to have a variety of insects feed on it. Aphids are one of a few insects that produce honeydew and most likely have been present ever since the tree has been there, but not present in numbers great enough to be noticeable. There are many naturally occurring generalist predators and parasitoids that suppress aphid populations; consequently, treatments with insecticides are seldom warranted. A soft scale species could possibly be feeding on the tree and producing honeydew also. These insects are frequently overlooked by most people because they look like small bumps on branches or stems. They feed on plant juices produced by leaves during the summer.
Management of scales or aphids on your tree could be accomplished similarly, but there would be challenges due to the height of the tree you provided. The insects could be at any distance along the height of the tree and getting an insecticide to a location they are feeding could be expensive. Contact spray chemicals would need to hit the insect directly and at the right time of year (in the case of scales). Systemic insecticides would need to be applied at the appropriate time for the insect in question and enough would need to be applied in order reach all areas of the tree (potentially expensive).
I suspect that since you have not had problems with this issue in the past 35 years that neither aphids or scales are your problem. I suspect you may have had spotted lanternflies infest your tree. This particular insect is an exotic invasive insect relatively new to Delaware (here only a couple years). Management of this insect on your tree will experience the same challenges and difficulties the other two insect groups I mention have. I am unable to provide any guidance as to what is causing your problem on your tree because I have not seen a suspected insect sample, picture of tree or insect or a sample of the plant. I apologize for the delay in the response; however, I did not know about this question until this morning.
