Aphids on my new acer
Looking for some advice from those more knowledgeable than me, please.
I’ve just had a 3y potted Acer tree delivered that I’m planning to plant out in my garden, but noticed there’s a whole ton of (according to an image search) aphid mummies on the leaves. Hadn’t heard of them before and I’m torn between grossed out and fascinated 😅
I only found one possibly live aphid, but spotted a few of what I think are the wasps too. Some of the leaves are a bit moth-eaten and discoloured but in general the plant looks healthy enough to my untrained eye.
Is it safe to plant the tree out in my garden? It looks like the wasps have dealt with the majority of the aphids but will there be more living in the soil? I’ve got no clue about aphid life cycles! Presumably an infestation like this isn’t going to kill the tree at this stage in its life, right?
Also, to keep on top of the issue in the future, should I be doing anything to encourage the wasps to stick around? I read they like mint and I’ve got a lot of that already, so can move some of it closer if necessary.
I’ve not owned an Acer before and am a bit of a beginner gardening-wise, so I wanted to check if this was ok before going ahead. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me!