Sometimes confused as scale, aphids are a bug that can create a unsightly mess in your Azaleas. They are a bug that feed on the sap of the plant by sticking a needle like beak into the plant. As they feed they drop their waste on the plant that’s called Honeydew. This is a clear sticky substance. After a short period of time a black mold grows on the honeydew. It’s this black mold that usually first alerts people to a issue. While it’s not deadly at first, it can over time be bad for the plant therefore it needs to be addressed ASAP. The entire plant should be sprayed with an insecticide to kill the beds and then treated routinely as a preventive measure. Hope this helps!