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Help! What’s this? 🙀

(11 Posts)
FannyCornforth Fri 26-May-23 16:02:59

Hello

My beech tree has a weird condition.

Both sides of the leaves are very sticky.

On the underside of the leaves there is fluffy white stuff.

A plant ID app has identified it as something mildew (I can’t remember)

But it moves!
It’s lots of tiny fluff white bugs.

Please help, wise women (and the occasional man) of Gransnet 🙏

FannyCornforth Fri 26-May-23 16:04:18

If you zoom into the second picture at the pointy end of the leaf, you can see the bug very clearly.
It couldn’t half shift

merlotgran Fri 26-May-23 16:17:12

I think it’s beech woolly aphid which is a sap sucker, hence the sticky leaves.

It shouldn’t cause any lasting damage and hopefully will be taken care of by whichever birds like eating them.

FannyCornforth Fri 26-May-23 16:23:17

Oh thank you merlot!
I could hug you 🤗

merlotgran Fri 26-May-23 16:32:30

FannyCornforth

Oh thank you merlot!
I could hug you 🤗

Somebody else might come along and tell you it’s something different though. 😂

FannyCornforth Fri 26-May-23 16:40:45

No, that really sounds right
1) it’s on a beech
2) it’s woolly
3) it looks just like an aphid

ExDancer Fri 26-May-23 16:49:30

I seem to have similar bugs on my (smilenot so little) nut tree, so presumably they attack other species as well.

lixy Fri 26-May-23 22:16:18

We had these on our beech hedge every year. I found myself worrying at this time of year every year but the hedge didn't seem to mind too much and thrived. The blue tits loved them!

I didn't notice them moving on to anything else - there were plum and cherry trees amongst the hedge and they were unaffected. The aphids occasionally strayed onto the apple trees but didn't stay.

FannyCornforth Sat 27-May-23 02:26:53

Thanks lixysmile
That’s very reassuring

Hetty58 Sat 27-May-23 07:04:11

I get wholly aphids on the old apple tree - but probably a different type, as they appear in any crevices on the trunk and branches, not on the leaves.

FannyCornforth Sat 27-May-23 16:55:27

Hetty does sap come out of trunks too?
Perhaps that’s why they are there
(As you can probably tell, I’m no plantswoman)