Little black things on leaves

[Beetleman72]

I was watering my big green Japanese maple today when I noticed a small section of its leaves had tiny little black...things for lack of a better word...they appear to be some sort of eggs. Its not growing from the leaves or doesn't appear to be so i don't think it's any kind of gall, but I don't know what it is. Can anyone identify this?

 

[jkd2572]

I would nuke the tree with insecticide as a precaution for a couple of weeks in a row.

 

[Beng]

Could be fly poop are they fairly flat or do they move when you touch them?

 

[AlBooBoo]

I dont know so much about pests but you should quarantine it really fast if it is standing close too other plants.. if its some pests at least you have only one plant to fix.. not all

 

[Beetleman72]

Could be fly poop are they fairly flat or do they move when you touch them?

They are more like tiny asymmetrical black balls. You can brush them off I've just never seen this type of thing before. I have some merit I think ill give it some merit via soil injection and spray it with been or liquid seven dust.

 

[Beetleman72]

They look like the little black things that fall off of big elm trees and get all over your car, but its only on one small section of the tree

 

[Dav4]

If only a few leaves are affected, I'd just rub them off.

You all should take a look at these links.
http://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t12772p60-bonsai-at-the-nc-arboretum#143964

http://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t12772p60-bonsai-at-the-nc-arboretum#143982

 

[jk_lewis]

Please don't nuke -- spray indiscriminately. If those are eggs of an insect, they're as likely to be predator insects as they are damaging insects. Indiscriminate spraying helps insects build resistance to insecticides.

Unless you see DAMAGE to your tree, leave it be. If it's only one or two leaves, remove them -- completely -- from the vicinity of your trees.

A few battered leaves is NOT damage to the tree -- especially at this time of year when leaves are getting old and tired.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Looks like droppings from something above. Check to see if any leaves are chewed above the leaf you showed.

 

[Nybonsai12]

Looks like droppings from something above. Check to see if any leaves are chewed above the leaf you showed.

That was my thought as well. Looks like the inchworm poo we get here earlier in the season.

 

[Beetleman72]

Other than the damn Japanese beetles that are everywhere I dont see any more pests. Could it be beetle poop? And to jlk and Brian: would spraying it with neem be an acceptable soloution? Or should I just let it be?

 

[jk_lewis]

Listen to the Beatles: Let it be, let it be.