Aphids & Maple Trees

We have a freshly budding Maple tree in our back yard (though it seems a bit early this year). My wife seems to think that it's dripping a residue which I would be inclined to think is Aphid activity since we've had problems with Aphids in the past with our Maple trees. I don't recall however, having the issue at the 'budding' stage before so... What steps to the experienced or experts suggest for budding Maple trees where Aphids are concerned... ? We don't like to spray unless necessary because of our dog and cats but... HATE the Aphids and their 'sap', just the same... :-)

Any help is appreciated and TIA...

Chris snipped-for-privacy@NOSPAMnctv.com

remove 'NOSPAM' in above address for direct emails and they ARE welcome...

Aphids are in general a pain, but they do little to no harm to the tree. If you elect to 'treat' the aphid infestation, you may very well kill off the very insects that control aphids, hence creating an endless loop of infestation.

A client of mine had an aphid problem in a birch tree which was next to a parking area. The cars would get covered with honeydew which would create a black mold on the car. She would have the tree treated twice a year... and it wasn't cheap. This was a large tree. After her husband complained about the cost of the treatments which didn't really solve the problem, they asked me to cut the tree down even though they liked it. I suggested that they waited out the season ( I was way busy anyways) and to do a few things to manage the tree. They agreed.

First thing was to hose the tree with a garden hose and a sweeper nossle every few days. Blast the buggers off the tree, once off they die. The second was to water the tree deeply once a week and to fertilize it. Latter that summer the tree was -COVERED- with ladybugs. There were thousands of them and just as many nymphs. This tree is still standing and has been left untreated for 4 years now. Yes there are still aphid infestations, but they don't last very long.

In the long run, if you find yourself treating this tree every season, you really should ask yourself if it's truly worth the cost of treatment and annoyance.

Good luck.