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Aphid Natural Enemies and Biological Control

Ron Patterson and, Ricardo Ramirez (March, 2016)

Summary

Aphids are sap-feeding insects that emerge early in the spring. They have piercing-sucking mouthparts and in many cases can carry and spread plant diseases. Aphids can be small, like the green peach aphid, to quite large, like the conifer aphid. The color of the various aphid species is diverse and includes black, green, red, and yellow. They are soft-bodied with the most apparent identifying characteristic being two“tailpipes,” called cornicles, protruding from the posterior end. Gardeners and homeowners often see aphid excrement or honey dew on leaves, leaf curl with aphids hiding in the curl on fruit trees and landscape plants, or an abundance of the aphids on the underside of leaves and on plant stems.