Aphids on Crepe Myrtles?

Ferti-lome tree and shrub drench.

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I used Compare-N-Save Systemic Tree and Shrub Insect Drench - 75333, 1 Gallon $29.99 from Amazon.

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Imidacloprid is the active ingredient in this product. It is a neonicotinoid. Systemic neonicotinoids are highly problematic to bees (western honeybees and native bees), other pollinators, and beneficial insects, including those that control aphids like green lacewings and lady beetles. Neonicotinoids can stay in soil and remain active for years.

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What happens to imidacloprid in the environment?

Imidacloprid can last for months or years in soil. The residues become more tightly bound to the soil with time. Imidacloprid is broken down rapidly by water and sunlight. The pH and temperature of water affect the speed of the imidacloprid breakdown process. Imidacloprid may leach from soil into groundwater under some conditions. Imidacloprid is broken down into a number of other chemicals depending on which bonds in the molecule are broken.

Can imidacloprid affect birds, fish, or other wildlife?

Imidacloprid is not very toxic to birds and slightly toxic to fish, although this varies by species. Imidacloprid is very toxic to honeybees and other beneficial insects. The role, if any, of imidacloprid in Colony Collapse Disorder is not yet clear. Scientists have shown that plants grown in treated soil may have imidacloprid residues in their nectar and pollen at levels that are below those shown to cause effects on bees in laboratory experiments.

Other beneficial animals may also be affected. Green lacewings did not avoid nectar of plants grown in soil treated with imidacloprid. The lacewings that fed from the treated plants had lower survival than lacewings that had not fed from treated plants. Ladybugs that ate aphids from plants grown in treated soil also showed reduced survival and reproduction.

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Systemic neonicotinoids are also commonly used in commercial greenhouses because they are cheap and less time consuming (one or two sprays that stay in the plant for an extended period of time). The effects compound with whatever other neonicotinoid products the homeowner uses after planting, impacting many generations of beneficial insects.

Plant Merrygolds

LINK

Going by the black on the shrubs underneath I think it is aphids

leave it alone or go buy a box of ladybugs
sooty mold is harmless to the tree

I had the same issue. I started spraying them with an insecticide and it stopped.

If I’m lazy I’ll use the spretracide that connects to the water hose from Lowe’s.

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leave it alone or go buy a box of ladybugs sooty mold is harmless to the tree

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yes but it sure is ugly

Maybe it's not Aphids. Or maybe Marigolds are bunk. IDK I've given up on all of it. But I've always been terrible at it. My mother could grow Hydrangeas big and glorious year after year, and I can't get mine to bloom past how I bought them. She told me that marigolds are good for aphids and so does the internet.

I had this issue at my last house. I can't remember the name of the insecticide that I applied but I had to mix a gallon or so of water with the checmical to soak the roots. I also pressure washed the black soot looking material off of the tree. The next year it came back pretty strong. I would recommend looking at the website LINK / to possibly purchase your chemicals. They have a wide variety of commercial products at a good price. Good luck