If you’ve seen sticky, black sap on your car, deck or landscape, that can be a telltale sign that your hackberry trees are infested by aphids..
Signs and Symptoms
The insect feeds on tree leaves and stems and prefers sugarberry and hackberry trees. You’ll see these signs left behind:
- A clear, sugary substance called “honeydew” on your trees and the area under the tree
- A black, sooty mold growing atop that honeydew
- A flurry of "snowflakes" that are actually white, fluffy woolly aphids
Treatment Options
If these symptoms sound familiar, spring is the ideal time to plan for treatment. This pest is active in summer and fall and leaves its sticky sap all over your yard through October.
Reduce the sticky sap by applying an insecticide to the foliage or injection into the trunk or soil.