The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Growing => Fruit => Topic started by: katog on June 07, 2012, 01:41:50 pm

Title: black insects on our cherry trees.
Post by: katog on June 07, 2012, 01:41:50 pm

Shiny sticky black insects covering the leaves of our cherry trees - help please

Title: Re: black insects on our cherry trees.
Post by: Mammyshaz on June 07, 2012, 02:38:52 pm

Any chance of a photo, may help. Otherwise it's too vast could be many things.

Title: Re: black insects on our cherry trees.
Post by: katog on June 07, 2012, 04:36:18 pm

I'm fairly sure they're aphids without long wings, they don't move much just huddle around in ever increasing crowds under the leaves at the growing tips of the branches. They are 1mm round shiny and squash easily but there's so many, the leaves are curling up.
I tried rubbing them off with a soft cloth in soapy water, I don't want to use chemicals.
 

Title: Re: black insects on our cherry trees.
Post by: Fleecewife on June 07, 2012, 05:21:54 pm

If they are aphids, a spray made with soft soap and sprayed on them every couple of days will work.  Squash as many as you can too.

Title: Re: black insects on our cherry trees.
Post by: jaykay on June 07, 2012, 06:40:04 pm

Yep, cherry blackfly, Mysus cerasi, which is indeed a shiny black aphid.

Soap or washing up liquid, sprayed, dissolves their outer surface and they dry out and die.

Title: Re: black insects on our cherry trees.
Post by: katog on June 10, 2012, 12:36:50 pm

It looks a bit better now will spray it again tomorrow - thanks