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Extension > Garden > Diagnose a problem > What's wrong with my plant? > Deciduous Trees > Maple > Sticky substance on leaves, twigs or branches

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Maple > Leaves > Sticky substance on leaves, twigs or branches

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  • Image: Cottony Maple Scale 1
  • Image: Cottony Maple Scale 2
  • Image: Cottony Maple Scale 3

Cottony maple scale
Pulvinaria innumerabilis

  • Excrete honeydew, a sticky, shiny material, on leaves and branches; sooty mold may also result from honeydew
  • Young insects remove sap from leaves creating a speckled appearance and possibly yellowing leaves in mid to late summer
  • Heavy infestations cause premature leaf drop and branch dieback
  • Nymphs are brown-translucent, 1/5 inch; females lay eggs in the white marshmallow egg-sac along the twigs and small branches
  • Silver maple is preferred host
  • More information on Cottony maple scale
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  • Image: Woolly alder aphid 1
  • Image: Woolly alder aphid 2

Woolly alder aphid
Paraprociphilus tessellatus

  • Excrete honeydew, a sticky, shiny material, on leaves and branches; sooty mold may also occur on honeydew
  • Insect feeding causes the leaf to fold in on itself
  • White woolly masses that look like threads are produced on leaves and twigs of its host
  • 1/8 inch, pear shaped insect inside white woolly mass
  • Silver maples are preferred hosts
  • More information on Woolly alder aphid

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