AHHHHH - so that's what is going on with my hackberry tree! The tree is large and doesn't appear to be damaged but there is definitely something yucky all underneath it and in the driveway. Thanks Ann.

Frances

That happened to our trees last year. I cut two of them down so that they wouldn't block out all the light from my garden shed but also to reduce the aphids. They put the sticky honeydew stuff all over everything, including some other trees.

I have had the same problem several years ago with a hackberry in my yard and this problem is caused by an insect called an aphid. They suck the plant juices and secrete a substance called honeydew which is high in sugar content and sticky. A sooty mold will grow on the honeydew causing the black on everything under the tree. Control the aphids and the sooty mold and honeydew will go away. Next spring treat the tree with an insecticide called Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insect control. This is applied to the soil around the tree and the roots will transport the insecticide to the foliage and twigs and when the insects suck the juices they are killed. It will last the season long. Check with your local nursery for this product. Here is a web link to the product. I have used this for the last two years around my hackberry trees and no more problem with the sticky mess. I use the whole contain around the large tree truck I have in my yard.Sandy

http://www.bayeradvanced.com/product/Tree-Shrub-Insect-Control/concentrate.html

Sandy,
I can't imagin the quantity of that Bayer product that it would take to treat thirty foot tall hackberrys. I had read that solution several years ago, I did some figuring, and for some of the hackberries in our back yard, it would have taken gallons, applied early in the season, every season.
The fall Lady-Bug look alikes do eat these and since they are here to stay, I'll go with Lady Bug version fall for control.

Some effective translocation times for Bayer's systemic are two to three weeks for small shrubs; does Bayer give a translocation time for tall trees?

I just have the one hackberry in my yard and the truck is only about 12 feet from my concrete patio and the tree is close to 30 feet tall and I use one of the containers on the tree yearly. I put it down early spring. I pour it around the base of the tree and up the truck about 2 feet up and let it run down and soak into the ground. If I don't use the product then I can't use the patio because the patio concrete,furniture,custions, table and everything under the tree is black and a stick mess. Using the Bayer Product I can even keep the custions out all summer long and I don't have the mess to deal with. Sandy