Upon closer look, I saw that several ladybugs were present on the tree as well as ants. And a few of the black dirt spots were developing wings - aphids!
I don't like to spray insecticides - they tend to kill of of the bugs, not just the bad ones - the spiders, ladybugs and ants can stay. But the aphids had to go.
So I got out the best tool I could think of - my fingers. I went branch by branch and squished as many of the little buggers as I could and then sprayed them off with my hose. It took an hour and a half to remove the majority of the infestation. Believe me, I have no illusions that I got rid of them all.
I literally had blood on my hands! But aside from using insecticides, I couldn't think of what would do as thorough a job. I just read where garlic is a good companion plant for cherry trees. Not sure if I can still plant garlic at this late date, but I think I'll try - even if it doesn't produce, it might help keep the pests at bay.
As I went through and got rid of the aphids, I marked each branch with a bread bag tie (being careful not to damage the branches) - it was confusing not knowing which ones I'd done already and this definitely helped.
As an interesting aside, I found 3 ladybugs together - I assume the males were fighting over the female - or there was something kinky going on.
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