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I have a huge pus*y willow tree in my back yard and it's now covered in these little black bugs. They almost look like a tick or a beetle and they have orange legs. They are covering the trees limbs and now all the surrounding furniture and blacks. Since the bugs showed up there are bees all over the tree. I attached pictures because we haven't been able to find out what they are. Please help!
AnswerThese are the Giant willow aphid. The Giant Willow Aphid is one of many species of aphids. The common names of most aphids have the name of a host plant in it. This is because most species of aphids eat a particular plant or group of plants. Giant Willow Aphids feed on willows.
Giant Willow Aphids are large aphids, growing up to 1/4 inch long. Since these are "big" ones, you can tell that aphids are tiny insects.
Giant Willow Aphids are usually found on willow trees.
Aphids will suck the plant juices from the leaves and twigs and secrete a substance called honeydews. Honeydew is high in sugar content and is sticky to the touch. Usually a black sooty mild will grow on the honeydew making everything black and sticky. The wasps and bees are gathering the honeydew. Control the aphids and the honeydew will go away.
You can either spray the tree's foliage or use a systemic insecticide on the soil beneath and the tree will absorb the insecticide through the roots and take the insecticide to the leaves and twigs. Spraying a large tree can be difficult.
IF you can reach all the foliage and branches spray the tree with an insecticide called Orthene. IF the tree is too large to reach all the foliage use an insecticide called Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insect Control. This applied to the soil around the tree and the roots will take it to the foliage and branches and when the aphid sucks the plant juices they are killed, It will take a couple of weeks for the insecticide to reach the top of the tree. Since depending on where you live the tree will soon start to slow down in growth and the movement of the insecticide will be less. I would use both methods--spray the tree as high as you can reach with a pumpup sprayer and Orthene and also treat the tree with the Bayer product. Here is a web link to this product check with your local garden type store for it.
http://www.bayeradvanced.com/tree-shrub-care/products/12-month-tree-shrub-insect
