I have a big maple on the side of my driveway that for sure has slime flux disease. You and your father are the only ones who thankfully say it is not fatal. The “tree guy” I had look at it yesterday has already made himself an appointment for next week to cut down the tree. He pointed out “African” bees on it to which I expressed doubt and let him know they have been harmless and have been enjoying the meals. I let him know butterflies are also enjoying the tree. The smell is strong and bad and it is at the front of the house. Two questions: how do we control the smell (you suggested bleach – what concentration?) and; the tree is between us and a neighbor so should we worry this disease will kill off its large branches and drop them on our neighbor?
Thanks and best wishes, John
See https://shadetreeexpert.com/tree-diseases/ for article on slime flux.
Reply:
John: It is highly unlikely the slime flux would cause a large branch to die. In the event that would happen it would probably be caused by something else. And when a branch dies, you have months before it decays enough to be a “fall” risk. So just keep an eye out for dead branches and have them removed in a timely manner.
Regarding how much bleach to use to stop the fermented odor, I really don’t know. Usually we use a 10% solution for disinfecting so you might try that (1 part bleach to 9 parts water). If that doesn’t work, then increase it to 20% and so on.
Enjoy the tree and its many benefits.
Chuck