[mickeyboy]

Hi all i planted some fruit trees last year and they are now in the process of fruiting. The problem i have is at the growing tips of the pear, apple and plumb tree are hundreds of tiny black aphid type bugs..... The ants seem to like them but they are killing the new tips appearing on the tree...
Any suggestions as to what they are and if so how to kill them?

I tried blasting with hose and it didnt work 

Cheers all...

[Trillium]

Normally the black bugs would be blackfly, which you'd snap off and burn. They're usually found on broad beans and such rather than fruit trees, but anything's possible. A good insecticidal soap should help control them, as well as sticky bands on the tree trunks with a proprietary sticky product like Tanglefoot. This stuff is superior to petroleum jelly and such. it'll stop the ants from getting into the tree to begin with as ants are harvesters of whatever.