Hey everyone! I just noticed a ton of flies underneath the leaves of my mature acer tree. They don't look like aphids since they have wings and seem like they're glued to the underside of the leaves. It's really grossing me out! I tried spraying them with water but I'm not sure if it's working. Plus, the leaves are kinda sticky. Any suggestions on how to deal with this?
3 Answers
I just noticed something similar on my acers too! I’ve heard that mixing water with a bit of dish soap can help, but it’s tricky because there are so many tiny leaves. I feel you on not wanting to wipe each leaf individually!
I think they might actually be aphids in their winged stage. It’s pretty common for them to cluster like that. You might want to try using a soap and water spray to get rid of them.
It sounds like they might be greenfly or black fly, which are actually the adult stage of aphids. They could be getting ready to lay eggs under your leaves. Keep an eye out for them!
Totally! I had a healthy acer last year but then ants showed up, and soon after the leaves started curling. I’m definitely going to give mine a thorough spray tomorrow because it looks like those flies are really clinging on. So annoying!