> Sure enough, the hum was not from bees but from yelowjackets
> feeding on a massive infestation of aphids in the tree.  I had noticed
> the sticky honedew from the aphids on the sidewalk for several days
> before the yellojackets arrived and was considering how best to treat it.
>  Within a week they had pretty much eliminated the aphid problem from the
> tree.
 
We have ants here that protect and herd aphids on poplar trees.
 They keep the aphids on one or two lower branches and overgraze those
limbs to the point where the branches almost inevitably die.
 
I understand the ants are keeping the aphids for their honeydew.
 
 
Allen Dick                                  VE6CFK
Rural Route One, Swalwell, Alberta  Canada T0M 1Y0
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