Question

insects   Hi Jim,

I live in FL, and one of my trees have many of these bugs on the trunk, the insects kind of stay all together in the same spot, just like you can see in the pic. Would you please tell me what are these insects, what attracts them to this tree (maybe there's something wrong with the tree), and if they are dangerous, and how to get rid of them or control them? Thank you in advance.

Best regards,

Rick

Answer
The picture is not a clear as I would like but it looks like a insect similar to the "love bug" They are either  using the tree as a hiding place, mating or feeding on sap from the tree. Sometimes the bark will seep sap and insects will feed on the wet sap.I really can not tell if the bark is wet where they are so I would guess they are not feeding. In any case these will not harm the tree. Any house hold insecticide will kill them (Raid, Ant spray, Malathion etc.)