Q: My beech trees have a large bug infestation. You can see they completely cover a limb and leave a mess below. They do not fly away even if I remove a branch. What are they and what do I do?

A: A glorious colony of woolly beech aphid! These sap-sucking insects cover themselves with waxy filaments to deter predators. The gray/black stuff on the ground is sooty mold growing on the tremendous amount of honeydew they produce.

A blast of water or any garden insecticide will control them.

Woolly Beech Aphid

Beech Blight Aphid

Woolly beech aphid

Woolly beech aphid

Woolly beech aphid honeydew