Aphids are trouble for a wide assortment of plants, and the cherry isn’t exempt from this pest. The most frequent aphid in cherries would be the black cherry aphid (Myzus cerasi), a 1/8-inch-long, shiny black aphid that overwinters as eggs on the bark of smaller cherry divisions, emerging in the spring about the time buds are opening. After three to four weeks, these youthful females begin giving live birth to more wingless females with no need for fertilization. Black cherry aphid populations can quickly get out of hand — killing them before they hatch is the best sort of control.
Supply your tree using supplemental water at least a week before starting to take care of it for aphids. Water it until the soil is moist, but not so much that the tree is standing in water. A well-hydrated tree is not as likely to be wounded by horticultural oil therapies.
Spray a composite of horticultural oil and the insecticide chlorpyrifos to some cherry tree, making sure to coat the bark and branches completely. Apply this treatment in the day if bees are active near your cherry tree, since it can be toxic to these pollinators. Allow the spray to dry at least four hours before manipulating the tree farther.
Put sticky cards around the branches and trunks of cherry trees in late winter, as buds begin to swell, to assist monitor aphid populations. Check the sticky cards regularly — if you see tiny black aphids (immature aphids are much smaller compared to adults), then prepare to spray before residents climb.
Coat your cherry using insecticidal soap as soon as dark cherry aphids are active, or wait until after the petals drop from the tree to employ imidacloprid to the soil around your tree. Repeat applications of insecticidal soap weekly until you don’t find any more aphids on sticky cards if you opt for this option.