Question
I live in northern Ohio and I have an eleven year old Japanese plum tree that has been eaten alive by Japanese beetles.  Last year I treated my lawn for grubs not knowing the correlation between the two.  I now have very little foliage left on the tree and it appears to be leaking.  The sap(?) is golden honey colored and is in very large clumps throughout the trunk area.  Is this being caused by the beetles?  At this point is it worth treating my lawn and tree  or would I be better off replacing it with a form of tree that is not so tempting?  Also since the beetle population has become so moderate will there be reinfestations? Thank you for your help and any answers you can give.

Answer
Hardwood trees have the capability of leafing out again after they have been defoliate. The beetles will not kill the tree unless they completely defoliate it for a couple of years in a row. The tree will survive being defoliated. I would suggest that you treat the tree with an insecticide called Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insect control. This is applied to the soil around the tree and the roots transport the insecticide to the leaves and when the beetles feed they are killed. It will prevent attack for the season so early next spring treat with this product. here is a web link to this product--you should be able to find it at your local nursery

http://www.bayeradvanced.com/product/Tree-Shrub-Insect-Control/concentrate.html