Massachusetts, Weird Substance Damaging Some Trees, What is it?

I recently saw a photo post from a member of one of the local online Massachusetts neighborhood groups and the photo contained an apple tree with a weird fluffy-like substance on it. He wanted to know what the heck was on his tree. It turns out that it was a colony of Wooly Apple Aphids.

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Wooly Apple Aphids are absolute pests and can suck the life out of your apple trees.  The substance looks like cotton candy, but underneath the fluff is a colony of Aphids damaging your trees, which you can view in the video below. Wooly Apple Aphids are most active during the spring and summer months.

As noted in the video, if the Whooly Apple Aphid is left unattended, more colonies will reproduce and infect more apple trees.

Are Wooly Apple Aphids Active in Massachusetts?

Wooly Apple Aphids are found in many states including the Northeast. Massachusetts is one of the states that contains the pesky Wooly Apple Aphids. So whether you live in Boston, Worcester, the Berkshires, etc. you want to watch your apple trees for these pests.

How Can You Control Wooly Apple Aphids on Your Massachusetts Apple Tree?

There is biological control of the aphids where you don't need to necessarily get involved in eradicating the pests. This control is performed through Ladybugs, Green Lacewings, Syrphid Flies, and Soldier Beetles and they will eat all aphids. However, the most effective biological control of Aphids is a wasp known as Aphelinus mali. This wasp impregnates an Aphid with an egg 30-50 days later you end up with a new wasp and a dead Aphid. You can actually see the impregnation occur in the video that we shared above.

You Can Control The Aphids on Your Apple Tree as Well

When biological control isn't working, you can eradicate Wooly Apple Aphids using various pesticides. In addition, you want to prune branches when possible. When branches can not be pruned, wash and scrub the site with insecticidal soapy water. Monitor washed sites for signs of re-infestation.