On Thu, 05 Jun 2014 08:31:22 +0100
Martin Brown wrote:

A very good rule of thumb is fast moving or with an aphid in its jaws
is a friend and slow moving or with a plant in its jaws is a foe.


Slow moving, no insect in jaws, look as though they were eating the
white stuff.

My guess would be ladybird larvae which are partial to aphids.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...ae&FORM =IGRE


Saw that page yesterday, ours are smoother. No idea of scale on there,
either.

The tree has been looking sad this year, which is why we went
looking for critters.

Surprised that they can do enough damage to make a difference to
such
a vigorous tree. Hitting it with a systemic insecticide and
alternating with a knockdown and/or stiff brush with meths will
control it, but on a large tree you are unlikely to ever get rid of
it entirely.

There is, of course, no guarantee that this is causing the tree to be
unhappy, but it is a coincidence. The very wet winter may have
over-hydrated it, it is low down, and near a ditch which has been busy
this year.

Thanks for help.

--
Davey.

On Wednesday, June 4, 2014 11:43:36 PM UTC+1, Nick wrote:
"Davey" wrote in message

...

I'm not a gardener by nature, whereas my wife is, but our willow tree

has what looks like a load of dried sap coming out of a spot on the

trunk about 4 feet off the ground, forming a small solid waterfall

effect, and there are several ants crawling around it. The waterfall is

about 4 inches in height.



Maybe it's an internal ant nest? If so, is it bad for the tree, and how

to treat it if it is?

Otherwise, I can't find what it is, so any help welcome.



Is there a good website to ID such problems? All that I have looked at

haven't helped.



--

Davey.



I hope you are successful in identifying and solving this. You'll get good

advice from the folk hereabouts.

Sadly, I lost a magnificent weeping willow as a result of flooding and high

winds earlier this year.



The dear old thing did go out with some style.

Its foundations, weakened by very high water, succumbed to high winds and

toppled over.

On the journey it demolished 2 walls, a street light, a flagpole, several

smaller trees and part of the roof of a building across the flooded lane. It

blocked the lane for 3 days.

Clearance was finished a couple of weeks later with the assistance of some

excellent tree surgeons and a 170T crane.

The tree was measured at 108ft high. After removing the small bits, they

reckon the big bits amounted to about 23 tons.

The root ball, which fell back to soggy earth, was measured at 10ft dia. The

bole is a bit over 4ft dia.

This has started to shoot again. I don't know whether to leave it or not. It

can never have its old and good footing.

Have posted some pics here. Possibly.



https://www.dropbox.com/sh/n1py0n0db...1sAk1px03_AgIa



Good luck,

Nick.

Speaking as one who has to live with one that shadows much of our garden, they are a plague, get rid of it as soon as possible. I hate them.

Jonathan