Extension > Garden > Diagnose a problem > What's wrong with my plant? > Deciduous Trees > Maple > Sticky substance on leaves, twigs or branches
Maple > Leaves > Sticky substance on leaves, twigs or branches
1 of 2
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
2 of 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
