Help! What’s this? 🙀

Hetty does sap come out of trunks too?
Perhaps that’s why they are there
(As you can probably tell, I’m no plantswoman)

I get wholly aphids on the old apple tree - but probably a different type, as they appear in any crevices on the trunk and branches, not on the leaves.

Thanks lixy
That’s very reassuring

We had these on our beech hedge every year. I found myself worrying at this time of year every year but the hedge didn't seem to mind too much and thrived. The blue tits loved them!

I didn't notice them moving on to anything else - there were plum and cherry trees amongst the hedge and they were unaffected. The aphids occasionally strayed onto the apple trees but didn't stay.

I seem to have similar bugs on my (not so little) nut tree, so presumably they attack other species as well.

No, that really sounds right
1) it’s on a beech
2) it’s woolly
3) it looks just like an aphid

FannyCornforth

Oh thank you merlot!
I could hug you 🤗

Somebody else might come along and tell you it’s something different though. 😂

Oh thank you merlot!
I could hug you 🤗

I think it’s beech woolly aphid which is a sap sucker, hence the sticky leaves.

It shouldn’t cause any lasting damage and hopefully will be taken care of by whichever birds like eating them.

If you zoom into the second picture at the pointy end of the leaf, you can see the bug very clearly.
It couldn’t half shift