The sap looks clear so I would say it is not bacterial canker. I agree borers are an option, but I see no frass (sawdust) around the holes. Get a wire (e.g. coathanger) and poke around to see if there is a hole well into the tree under the goo. If there is a deep hole you have borers. I have also had trees exude sap just because there was too much sap pressure in the tree. That would in fact be my first guess since the other two problems above seem not to fit.

Scott

I'll try that tonight, thanks so much, Scott! It is nice to know there is another, and possibly likely, explanation that does not mean my tree is doomed.

I agree with scott, the root stock and the trunk may flow sap at different speeds. Nothing will become of it. BUT, sap ooze without frass might be the prelude to infectious lesions. You'll know by next spring if you see bark lesions erupt around the ooze. How far up in the tree did you say where the other sap is flowing out? Check for any prunus species, especially wild, in the area for sap ooze/bark lesions.

I tried the coat hanger Saturday, no dice. The stuff is just hard as it can be. I did finally manage to pop one small one off the tree with a small flathead screwdriver. The rest I think would need a hammer and chisel. I didn't see any hole behind the small one I got off.

I was wrong about there being no dead branches. When I stood directly under the tree I did see some very small branches with no leaves on them. There were also a few leaves on the ground Saturday morning, not too many, and we could have had some good wind gusts.

I did remember that my neighbor told me that she had lost a couple of trees to what she termed "soft-wood" borers, but they were out of town this weekend so I couldn't ask if the symptoms were the same or not.

Ace, what would a prunus species be? There are a lot of trees in the neighborhood, but except for honey locust, maple, some kind of oak, and pecan trees, I'm not sure about all the varieties. My neighbor has honey locust and maple, I've seen pecans in my yard (no doubt thanks to the squirrels), and I've seen at least one oak I recognized.

The spots go up on the tree, as far as I can tell, to just past the first main branching. I can see one up above that, and there are a few just below the main branching, but most of them are low, down around the base.

Devilwoman-

Ace must be gone for the weekend. "Prunus" is plum trees and the other stone fruits, including cherries, apricots, nectarines, chokecherries, nanking cherries, almonds, serviceberries (I think) and so on. Here's a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus

There's a lot of wild varieties of prunus, which makes it trickier to make sure there aren't any disease-harboring varieties nearby.

Hope this helps a little.

M

Thanks, Mark, I'll check around the neighborhood and see what I can found out about other trees in the area.

Devilwoman, that tree is absolutely magnificent! I do hope the ooze is little more than the human equivalent of a runny nose.

You may want to paint them over or mark them and then keep a lookout for any new ones, which will be soft and poke-able. It will also let you know if the problem is a one-time thing or is persisting. If it continues then it is more likely it is something bad. The harmless sap leakage thing seems to occur quite sporadically, as in once or twice a year (at least thats what I have seen).

Scott

Thanks, Estreya, but I can't take any credit for it. It was already there when I bought the house last fall.

Scott, that's a great idea. What can I use to paint the existing spots that will harm neither the tree nor the wildlife?

Either use that tree wound spray stuff or diluted latex paint (50-50). Or put a big dot of black marker on them, etc. Lots of options depending on what you have around.

Scott

Wow, I have the same problem (Blenheim apricot). I also have ants crawling all over the branches that have the hard, honey-colored sap. I, too, scraped it off and found no obvious holes, nor do I see any "sawdust," only the ants. Much of the fruit fell off early on, or was soft before it was ripe, or got soft and bruised-like. Some of the fruit was very good. I say "was" because it's all off the tree now. This is the second year of fruiting, as it is a young tree (in the ground three years now, I think).

I don't see any aphids, but I do have the thin spider webs that make me think spider mites, which I suffer from on a lot fo my plants. I also have whitefly problems, but no evidence of them on the apricot.

I read on another website where someone else was having a similar problem that if it is a borer problem, we may as well give the tree its last rites. Please, no! I love my apricot tree and have wanted one for a long time. I'll keep checking back in case someone comes up with a solution or answer, and if I find one, I'll be sure to post it. Meanwhile, I'll leave the link to the other site that talked about this problem, as well as other apricot issues.

Here is a link that might be useful: SDSU horiticulturist's website

Don't cut your tree down yet, borers can be bad for the tree, but you can stop the infection a little and keep treating it over the years to make it a great tree. I put grub granuals under the tree and fertilze it on a regular basis. Especially after picking the fruit as the tree is weakened from the harvest. It is not perfect fix, but that and spraying the trees baark on a weekly basis with a weak pesticide has brought my appricot tree back from what looked like full die off. The leaves are a little light yellowish, but are growing back and very full. I will have ot do some pruning to remove dead wood, but not all at once since this is very hard on the tree right now while it is growning. I think it may need some iron in the soil becasue of the light yellow leaves, but I am thinking the borer is the main problem and I will try adding a small amount of iron into the treatment as well.
Biggest thing is, be patient. It can take a lot of time to bring a tree back, but it is not the end until the tree is totally dead and brown inside.