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Aphids or Scale Causing Black Sooty Mold on Oak

Diagnosis

Sticky honeydew + black sooty mold = aphids or soft scale. Ants often present.

Treatment

Soil drench with imidacloprid (Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Insect Control) in spring. Systemic action kills feeding insects. Avoid bloom period. Contact sprays (horticultural oil, insecticidal soap) work on small trees.

Trees: Yellow Leaves with Black Spots on Container Roses in Shade; Pin Oak Leaf Tan Patches at Vein Junctions: Mites or Root Stress?; Large Leafless Tree in Summer: Dead Tree Removal; Sooty Mold and Honeydew on Oak in South Africa; Black Wet Areas on Oak Trunk: Borer Damage, Not Fatal; Red Bell-Shaped Bumps on Oak Leaves: Gall Wasps, Not a Threat; Oak Tree Establishment: Drought Shock and Root-First Growth; Oak with Old Pruning Wound and Insects; Treating Aphids and Whiteflies on River Birch; Walnut Aphid Honeydew: Sooty Mold on Leaves

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