Aphids are small, soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects. Their translucent bodies are most commonly green, brown, yellow or white.

The life cycle of aphids is unusual. In the spring, over-wintered eggs hatch into females that give birth to live young, all females (up to 10 or more per day). This allows a colony of aphids to grow in size very quickly, especially indoors. In the fall, males are also produced and the fertilized females produce eggs for over-wintering outdoors. These shiny black eggs are tucked into the crevices of bud scales and bark. Winged adults are produced only when it is necessary for the colony to migrate. For example, overcrowding or unfavourable climate conditions can stimulate the production of winged adults.

Aphids damage plants by sucking the sap from the leaves, twigs, stems or roots. They sometimes transmit plant diseases in the process.

Leaves attacked by aphids have spotty yellow discolourations, usually on the undersides; the leaves may later dry out and wilt or curl.

Do you see a clear, shiny sap on the top of the lower leaves on your plants? Many aphid species produce large amounts of honeydew, a sweet and sticky sap. The honeydew will accumulate on anything found under infested trees or plants (such as your car!). Because of its sweetness, the honeydew will attract other pests such as ants, flies and wasps. Occasionally, the honeydew develops a harmless black, sooty mould on it, making everything it has covered appear dirty and grey.

Ladybugs

Ladybugs, also called lady beetles or lady birds, are among our most beneficial insects. They are voracious and efficient predators of insect pests, and feed on more than 50 species of aphids. A single ladybug will consume thousands of pest insects in its lifetime, helping to protect home gardens as well as valuable commercial orchards and vegetable crops. They don't sting, transmit disease or infest food supplies, and of the more than 450 species of ladybugs in North America, only three feed on plants.

Throughout the summer, ladybugs feed on softbodied insects, such as aphids and mealybugs. As fall nears and temperatures drop, most ladybug species prepare to overwinter on the forest floor, often at the base of trees, under bark, leaves or other debris.

With their characteristic dome shape, red bodies and black spots, ladybugs are among our most familiar insects. The larvae are spiny and mostly black with orange stripes, resembling tiny alligators, and these larvae share the adult's insatiable appetite for aphids.




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