Question
I have a maple tree that has bladder gall mites.  I have read that it is not necessary to treat for this problem as the health of the tree is not compromised.  Is it safe to compost the leaves from this tree?  Do I run the risk of spreading the problem to other plants in my yard if I do?

Answer
It is not clear where the mites spend the winter--most sources say in the liter. That being the case I would not use the leaves with the gall mites in the compost pile. IF they are in the leaves then this would tend to be a population source the next spring. I hope this helps'