japanese red maple has a disease i think, can anyone help?

[princesslaura]

hi my mother got a japanese red maple when she was 24 and she gave it to me when i was 24 and i have had it about a year and a half and i really don't want it to die! I have noticed it has got weird patches on the trunk, that look like the barks lifting off and theres white stuff coming out from underneath. I touched it and the white stuff was kind of cottonwoolish, and dry. It also looks shiny on top of some of the leaves and ive seen one black fly under one leaf. I have took some photos of it. If anyone can help me it would be hugely appreciated!!
Link to the album with the pics in .. http://img41.imageshack.us/g/maple8.jpg/[/img]

[Piet Patings]

There is a syntax problem with the link. This works: http://img696.imageshack.us/i/maple5.jpg/

Ai, ...patches on the trunk,... these are cottony maple scale that eat your leafs but worse the bark.

Quick action is required. Get a chemical based insecticide on the active agent Deltamethrin, whatever you can get, and spray it on the whole tree. This will have them killed in a day or so.

And then hope and pray it is not to late. The leafs are no big deal but the bark is.
You may have to "plaster" the damaged trunk. Even clay is better than doing nothing.