Acer bug - please help identify

Hello I'd really appreciate it if anyone could identify this and give me any tips to get rid of it.. thanks in advance.

 

Think they might be a form of Aphid , the new growth will be susceptible

 

Thanks very much, thought they might be. What’s your experience of what works? Horticultural soap?

 

I can't see it very well but it's possibly scale. They can be susceptible to them. Not something I've ever had on any of mine, but if it is that, they can often be removed by a scrub with a nailbrush or similar .
They develop a hard shell, and if they get to that stage, some people use a cotton bud dipped in meths to zap them. Better to get a positive ID though before trying that method. Try the nailbrush first