Though they may be small and seemingly insignificant compared to other insects, they thrive by the sheer force of their numbers. They do so quickly and efficiently by being viviparous-that is, giving live birth. In response to the overcrowding, hormones trigger the development of wings in female aphids to help them fly to other food sources and, unfortunately for us, establish new colonies. This happens later in the season when the aphid population on a plant becomes too massive to sustain the colony. Some aphids even have wings, which makes it easy to mistake them for other pests. So it’s important to tackle the problem early, or prevent plant lice from happening in the first place. Well, under optimal environmental conditions without any predators, parasites, or diseases, a female aphid hatched in spring can theoretically produce up to 600 billion descendants, or up to 41 generations of females in a single season! Luckily, aphids are one of the easier pests to manage if you catch them early, before their colonies grow too large.Īnd just how large? you may be wondering.
Aphids aren’t necessarily “bad” bugs-they tell you when something bad is going on in the garden.Īphids usually show up on plants that are under some sort of stress-perhaps from drought or heat stress, or overwatering, or over-fertilizing. Though we tend to view them in a negative light, we should really be thinking of aphids as nature’s indicator that something is out of balance. Not ones to be particularly picky, aphids are voracious feeders and descend on both indoor and outdoor plants, including ornamentals and edibles.
Of all the pests that plague gardens throughout the season, aphids are among the most destructive, overwhelming, and frustrating.Īlso known as plant lice, garden lice, or greenflies, they seem to multiply overnight and can quickly invade a garden, leaving you with sticky, stunted plants that struggle to survive.
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