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Sap-eating aphids make for sticky problem in Ozone Park11-12-07 | News

Sap-eating aphids make for sticky problem in Ozone Park

The honeydew produced by aphids after they have fed on linden trees like these, is a "sticky substance that when it is fresh is semi-clear, but very sticky," said Nadriczny, who works with the Queens Botanical Garden. "As it sits for a while, a few days or more, the honeydew gets infected and turns black into something called sooty mold."

Unseasonably warm fall weather spawned what Ozone Park residents in New York City say is an unprecedented infestation of aphids. The insects are attracted to the sap produced from the linden trees that stretch along Gold Road.

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There is so much sap that she and neighbors have resorted to using bleach to clean the sidewalks and scouring pads to clean the windshields of their cars.

Michael Colosuonno, who has lived on Gold Road for 40 years, said he has never seen anything like it.

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City Councilman Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) said he has received numerous complaints about the problem.

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Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski said Parks Department policy is not to use any chemicals on the trees because of health concerns, adding that the dropping mercury should rid the trees of the aphids.

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Source: NY Daily News