RKatzin
Omono
I have been working closely with the trees, repotting ect, couple of weeks now, every day eyes on hands on.
Maples are just leafing out now and now is when the aphids strike. You can't see the little buggers until you have a mass infestation, but, you can see the ants that are harvesting the honeydew the aphids produce. You can head off the invasion at this point with a couple of drops of dish soap in a qt. spray bottle. Follow them ants around the tree and they will show you where the nest areas are. Spray up into the underside of the leaves and into the crotches of the upper twigs and stems. I usually only have to do this once a season, but I keep that bottle handy all summer.
Maples are just leafing out now and now is when the aphids strike. You can't see the little buggers until you have a mass infestation, but, you can see the ants that are harvesting the honeydew the aphids produce. You can head off the invasion at this point with a couple of drops of dish soap in a qt. spray bottle. Follow them ants around the tree and they will show you where the nest areas are. Spray up into the underside of the leaves and into the crotches of the upper twigs and stems. I usually only have to do this once a season, but I keep that bottle handy all summer.