Or, Why Are the Trees Black?
I noticed a gooey sticky feeling when I leaned up against my truck yesterday. Depending on your garage and driveway situation...you too may be noticing the black haze on your car (patio furniture, umbrellas, cats, etc).
What is going on? Well, this happens every year in the fall when the aphids are getting extra busy. The aphids excrete.......well, they excrete secretions. Commonly called honey dew. The honeydew falls on everything below their excretory location, and then black sooty mold (Capnodium, a type of fungus) grows in the secretions. The black sooty mold (Capnodium) does not itself harm the trees, or your lawn furniture. It may shade the leaves somewhat, inhibiting nutrition slightly, but probably not to a great degree.
Aphids (of which there are many species) live in all kinds of trees and shrubs but are particularly fond of hack berry trees and crape myrtles. I expect the excess of rain and moisture this year has contributed to: more aphids, more greenery, more moist conditions.
There's no need for pesticides, most of this will be washed away with weather. Once again, this is in the category of No Need for Alarm; Just an Annoyance. Take your car to the car wash. Scrub the lawn furniture with a general cleaner. Always use less strong products then go to stronger ammo if you need to.
Thanks as always to the wealth of free information from state Extension Services.
http://baker.ifas.ufl.edu/Horticulture/documents/BlackSootyMoldonLandscapePlants.pdf
https://www.facebook.com/SoilPlantPestCenter
