Insect pic

Very difficult to tell much of anything from the photo, but... This would be the time of year for tar spot disease to appear on maples. If the spots are round, raised and on the upper surface of the leaves, tar spot is likely. I'm sure you can find many photos online for comparison with your trees. This disease is unlikely to damage the trees unless the infection is very severe and occurs several years in a row.

Can't identify the insect and doubt if what you're seeing are eggs. Aphids may well be present but aren't likely to have caused the black spots. They may, however, be responsible for the stippling that looks a bit like eggs.

Systemic drenches take up to 6 weeks+ to fully enter a tree. Having no idea of your location is a handicap, but leaves will probably fall before the systemics do anything.

However, if you can grow maples, I'd say you're in northern hemisphere vs tropics...and I'd not worry about anything on any deciduous trees foliage at this point of the year (as akamainegrower advised).
It's end of year, everything looks rough..don't sweat it.

If it makes you feel better, pick up every leaf as it falls and bag it as if it were radioactive waste. It *could* be carrying a disease that could reinfect the tree next year, at least herbaceous perennial diseases act that way (like powdery mildew)..where fall cleanup is important to prevent pathogen overwintering.

find a better garden reference person ..

crikey.. ITS SEPTEMBER ... its all downhill from here..

you do not treat leaf disease .. in the season the the leaves will fall off ...

as the tree starts shutting down the leaves for fall ... all kinds of things attack them ... we do not care ...

same for summer bugs... of which .. i see no leaf damage.. so who cares what the bug is.. and if the leaves are damaged.. so what.. they will fall off soon ...

did it happen that the local master??? gardener.. happened to work at a store that would sell you the goo???

you should NEVER.. need to treat a maple ... ever.. IMHO ...

ken

Ken,

My fault, this has been going on much longer than September but thought I had over fertilized or something (spikes plus lawn fertilizer). Attached is a better photo of what looks like eggs and some damage that appears to be the same pattern. Previously and this time with the tree not pictured, the leaves turned (some of them) completely black and we're completely dry and thin dead, thin as paper.

The gardener didn't say this would fix everything, but I wanted to, as with everything else (even non plant related) do everything in my power (within reason) to ensure success. She wasn't trying to sell me on it and I was the one asking her. Catbird Seat in Madison has been there for 25 years and isn't as successful as it is by selling their customers things they aren't interested in.

One more bit of info I also had a few dead runs of branch that were up to 7 or 8 inches for the longest one. I noticed one of them appeared weak shortly after planting, but it has recently progressed and been removed.

Thanks for the input!

Joe

The insect in your image is a fly. Not a problem for the tree or you in any way.

Can't tell what the eggs are. Perhaps caterpillar. In any event, dispatch by rubbing off.

Here is a pic of the bark issue. Is this normal?

It's far from "normal". It may be the result of mechanical injury or possibly winter bark split if it was on the sunny side of the tree in the nursery. If it wasn't there when you planted the tree, that explanation is, of course, incorrect. The injury, whatever the cause, looks as if it's been there for some time, however. It's also possible, if not terribly likely, that over-fertilization is the culprit or at least a contributing factor. Lawn fertilizer in particular is very high in nitrogen and excessive vegetative growth may have made a minor wound larger. There's nothing you can do except wait for it to heal itself. The photo shows that healng process has already begun.

Thanks Aka, anything I need to do other than watch and wait?

Watching and waiting is really all you can do at this point. A wound of this size does provide a sizeable entry point for insects and fungi, but trees have pretty remakable powers of rejuvenation. Plus you've already used systemic treatments for both. The real danger is that this area will continue to grow larger and eventually girdle the bark and kill the tree. I'd speak to the people where you bought the tree now. This injury certainly looks as if it predates a planting this past spring.

AB are notorioius for sunscald the first winter or two in the ground. I had fince 2" installed a few years ago, didn't wrap them out of ignorance, and every single one of them scalded on the west side. It ended up being fatal because they all split in thunderstorms in the next 2 years before they could callus over the wound.

Thanks j0nd. What are they supposed to be wrapped with and how far up are they wrapped?

You can buy rolls of brown kraft paper made for wrapping trees. There are also white plastic spirals available for the same purpose. Thinned white latex paint also works to reflect winter sun. For the first two methods, it's best to wait until after several hard frosts before applying - this helps prevent any insect from taking up residence under the protective layer. The paint can be applied earlier or also just before deep cold sets in. Keep it out of the existing wound, though. Whatever method used, protect the bark from ground level to the lowest branches. It has traditionally been advised that the paper or plastic should be removed once the worst of cold weather is past, but many people don't. The paint washes off eventually by itself, but may be a bit unsightly until it does.

You can also erect a burlap screen on the southwest side that doesn't actually touch the tree at all. For just a few trees, this method has much to recommend it - timing isn't an issue, won't hold moisture against the bark, once removed the bark is just as it was.

Thanks, aka. I emailed the place where I purchased and had them planted, actually twice now since I found the second tree in the backyard has bark splitting, with the leaves out front turning black as well. I am not confident in their supplier and am afraid they used roundup around them or some other bad practice. I told them I want all three replaced and wont be going back with the same trees. The two sawtooth oaks I purchased from them have done absolutely outstanding and will drop their first crop this fall. Thanks for all your help and cross your fingers they don't try and play hardball. I hate having to get firm to make someone do the right thing.

They came out and diagnosed sunscald and said the leaves were likely due to aphids. He wasn't concerned about the leaves, but will be replacing the two trees out back with sunscald. Thanks for the help folks. Creating a new thread to get opinions on replacements.