It’s that time of year again….time when people stop to see me completely freaked out by a “dancing snowflakes on their tree!” Well Happy Holidays and relax. The “snowflakes” are an insect called Beech Blight Aphid or affectionately known as the Boogie Woogie Aphid.
You can blast them with jets of water late in the season or spray with an insect control however on a large Beech tree for many this is not practical. They will not kill the tree but can weaken the tree over time….generally we just see some branch loss here and there. Their calling card is sooty mold fungi from their excretions called honeydew that turns tar black in color.
Their dance will cause some branch distortion and possibly some branch loss but you are not going to lose your tree. As with any tree good maintenance and care (including feeding and pruning) will keep the tree healthy and able to withstand nuisances like the Boogie Woogie Aphid.
