SAINT PETER, Minn. -
An insect that leaves behind a slimy mess is causing a stir in Saint Peter.
Woolly aphids have been calling city trees home for the past several weeks, creating uneasiness amongst residents.
"It's nasty on the ground, because it drips right onto the grass," said Sheryl Strand of St. Peter.
Christian Lilienthal, an extension educator with the University of Minnesota says woolly aphids attack various tree leaves, causing them to curl.
"Under stressed conditions like we've had lately...they can start to pull a little bit more damaging effects out of trees, especially if they're a young tree," Lilienthal said.
After she found the bugs, Strand says she began to worry.
"We were quite concerned because we didn't know if they were going to eat all the leaves up or the tree," Strand said.
But Lilienthal says bigger trees are more resilient to woolly aphids.
"It's typically only smaller trees that you want to worry about treatment for," he said.
So how do you treat an infected tree with aphids? Experts say you can use an insecticide, dilute it down, and water it into the plant's root system.
"And even after treatment, you'll still notice that the leaves are curled, that will be something that they'll have for the rest of this year--next year they'll leaf out again," said Lilienthal.
Even after trees are treated, experts say you will still notice curled leaves. However, next year the trees will return to their normal look.
Agricultural experts say Mother Nature can provide assistance to combating woolly aphids, as the ladybug is a natural predator of the insect.
