little bugs?

[dr-solo]

my dwarf bing cherry has itty bitty insects the size of fly specks. there are thousands in a small area, mostly on the tips where the new growth is, and the new growth is curled and stunted. my other dwarf cherry, a sour cherry does not seem to have an infestation. any idea what this is? Ingrid

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at

up: the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I receive no compensation for running the Puregold list or Puregold website. I do not run nor receive any money from the ads at the old Puregold site. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Zone 5 next to Lake Michigan

[Lar]

In article , dr- [e-mail] says... :) my dwarf bing cherry has itty bitty insects the size of fly specks. there are :) thousands in a small area, mostly on the tips where the new growth is, and the new :) growth is curled and stunted. my other dwarf cherry, a sour cherry does not seem to :) have an infestation. any idea what this is? Ingrid :) :) :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :) List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at :)

sign up: :) Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :) I receive no compensation for running the Puregold list or Puregold website. :) I do not run nor receive any money from the ads at the old Puregold site. :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :) Zone 5 next to Lake Michigan :) Possibly one of the Psyllids..the young will cause leaf wrinkle but other than looks shouldn't harm the tree. The adults, under a magnifying glass will look like tiny cicadas.

[Pennyaline]

Are these wee pesties emitting honeydew, which is as we speak amassing airborne schmutz and fostering bacteria and mold and making the curled stunted leaves look sooty? Does it look as though the ends of the branches are curling up into heavy black fists?

You may have black cherry aphid.

My sour cherry was hit by black cherry aphid the spring we moved into this house. It was GROSS! Fortunately, it only damages the areas it infests and usually the areas of infestation are small. However, it

*can* spread and will if conditions allow it.

In North America, your cherry should be well into fruit. If you want to use chemical pest control, you can do so now. Heavy infestations of black cherry aphid are more than lady bugs and lace wings can handle. And the heavy covering of yuck on the branches can make it difficult to get to where the buggers are. Insecticidal soaps, contact insecticides good at dissolving the aphids themselves, are not good at dissolving the crud that shields them and therefore have trouble getting to the aphids. You can prune the infested areas off and dispose of them and hope the infestation isn't spreading, or you can use one of many more imposing pesticides available at any garden center.

[dr-solo]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at

up: the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I receive no compensation for running the Puregold list or Puregold website. I do not run nor receive any money from the ads at the old Puregold site. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Zone 5 next to Lake Michigan