Question
We have a 10 year old Bradford Pear tree, and noticed holes in the trees trunk, these holes are less than 1/8 " and are about half way around the tree. Today i noticed a cluster of these small gray bugs, and when i examined the tree more closely they were coming out of the tree at the juncture of two limbs and in several places. The area below these junctures is black, and several limbs indicate holes with the bark gone. What can i do to solve this problem?

Answer
James:
These small holes may indicated the presence of an insect borer that can tunnel into the bark/wood. The small gray bugs may be cause of these holes OR they might have just taken up residence there and not be the problem.  I do not know what this insect is based on the description.  Best to collect a few of these in a small bottle and get them to your local county Extension office for these folks to ID. These insects may just be occupying a dead cavity as just a home. The black area may be sooty mold, a fungal growth that grows on insect "poop".  The sooty mold does not harm the tree, but does indicate that there are insects present.  Several insects can lead to sooty mold.  Not sure if your tree may have internal decay, but good fertility/soil moisture is important in helping it "hang in there"- otherwise if the canopy starts to thin out, then removal may be an option.  It would be nice if there was a magic bullet, but once decay gets started, it is often a slow but progressive decline.  One of the best things we can do for trees is to avoid any kinds of wounds to the trunk and roots.  These are excellent ways for decay organisms to get inside.

Hope this helps.

Steve