All About Aphids

Aphids, also known as Plant Lice or Green Flies, infest both gardens and landscapes.

If certain plant roots are attacked by aphids, the plant may shrivel and die, particularly those of young plants or new growth.

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Facts

Description | Reproduction | Habitat

So... What's an Aphid?

Aphids, also known as Plant Lice or Green Flies, infest both gardens and landscapes.

Adult aphids have antennae, although they may or may not have wings.

These soft bodied insects are very small, measuring 1/8" at most in length and are either green, yellow, orange, gray, black or white in appearance. Nymphs look very similar to adults.

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Reproduction Patterns of Aphids

The Aphid life cycle is between 1 week and 40 days; however, since they can reproduce very quickly, plants can become infested quite rapidly.

Female aphids can have offspring at an amazing rate of 12 per day in warmer climates. These offspring mature and can bear offspring themselves in about a week or so. Aphids On a Plant Stem

Imagine if one aphid can have 80-90 offspring in a week, and at the end of that week, some of those offspring will be old enough to start bearing their own offspring, and a week later, some of those offspring will be old enough to start bearing their own offspring, and the cycle keeps going and going!

At that rate, it is easy to see how rapidly aphid populations can overrun a plant, possibly killing the younger plants or the newer growth on a plant.

Generation upon generation can be produced each year by the tiny aphids. Fortunately, this rapid reproduction is kept in check by natural predators, environmental factors, and chemical controls.

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Aphid's Habitat

There are numerous species of aphids found throughout North America.

These garden pests are usually most active in the springtime and decrease with a rise in outside temperatures.

They live on plants, especially on the new plant growth and buds. Although they live in colonies, they will move to other plants when their host plant is dying or overpopulated.

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Images courtesy of Oklahoma State University and Forestry Images.
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