Aphids already??

[WMC]

I was looking at a large dissectum seiryu maple I have and it has a surprisingly large number of aphids on it. I’ve never seen aphids at this time of year on any of my maples (I have many).
Is this normal for anyone else?
Also, I’m a little nervous about spraying it this time of year In case I burn the delicate nodes and they don’t leaf in spring?
Any advice or experience with aphids at this time of year and how to deal with them?
Thanks in advance.

[TimS]

The buds on some garden tree camellias are my house are covered in aphid already but they will be hacked back soon. They are such big trees there is no point trying to spray them anyway.

I haven’t noted any on my bonsais, but they are going dormant now anyway and have dropped all their leaves so there’s no incentive for the aphids to go for them.

[greg27]

I noticed some on my roses the other day; I just squished them with my fingers - often that's enough to keep them under control, and they'll disappear as we get more into winter I'd think.

My JM is still pushing out new growth - I don't think it's got the season change memo yet, even with a few mornings of frost this week.

[shibui]

Insecticides will not hurt your trees whether they are growing or dormant. There is nothing delicate about nodes or even buds. Those dormant buds can withstand a much colder winter than anything here in Australia and can survive storms and wind.
Insecticides are made to be safe to use on trees so no need to worry about using when you follow the directions.
For small numbers the finger makes a great insecticide. No chemicals or toxic residues and no collateral damage to non target species.