Hi all,

I apologize if the subject has already been discussed, I'm not too good for all that is garden-related so I wouldn't even know where to start- yet bizarrely it seems I'm the most qualified person around this time...

My mum-in-law has a gorgeous tree in her garden which is now covered in aphid-looking bugs. I'm not too sure what the tree is - it looks like a kind of apple tree (white blossoms late spring, and very small apple-like red fruits this time of the year). Now, I say the bugs look like aphids, yet some have wings (- I've never seen aphids with wings before, so I guess it's either they're not, or I never got close enough in the past). They work their way up the branches and chew away the leaves, which curl and, I think, rot (-they turn into blackish mulch, earlier today I thought they'd sprayed some branches with weed killer accidentally). Also, the branches are clearly weakened by it and some of the lower ones just fell when I touched them.

I spotted the problem earlier today and have already checked a few websites, but there are few arborists around and I'd like to know more about the problem before calling one in. In any case I think we need a professional as the tree is around 10 feet in height and I suppose any treatment would have to be sprayed all over.

Any opinion is welcome- I'm not sure what's happening at all!

Thanks :)