Big Mad at Little Aphids
From this post, the take-away for any reader is thus: Aphids exist only to cause misery to others. In some cases, the misery is low-caliber enough so as to cause an unnoticeable or simply pesky enough disturbance that does not require correction. In many cases, however, the hardships caused by aphids are felt on a deep and personal level, and the reader must find or create peace for themselves in the wake of destruction. In this blog post, I will outline the enemy and provide effective ways to stop coldly effective aphids.
All aphids are in the order Hemiptera, with most aphids being in the family Aphididae. There are a few smaller families of aphids, the Adelidae and Phylloxeridae, but to do the most good for the reader in the shortest amount of time, the Aphididae will be given priority. Aphids are also known as plant lice, because they are eating and therefore damaging any vegetation. The cause for concern is that aphids typically target fields and farmlands, acquiring taste for a certain species of corn or soybean, for example, which results in a highly degraded crop for humans to sustain ourselves on. Also, aphids do a sadistically good job of transmitting viruses from plant to plant, further damaging them.This of course has obvious economic and social ramifications, and the interest of time, it is inferred that the reader has prior knowledge of such things.
To recognize aphids in vegetation, they range in coloration from pale yellow to any shade of green to even bluish-gray. All aphids share two hornlike appendages dorsal on their abdomen, and they tend to flock together on leaves as well. Aphids have one of the highest reproductive potentials of any insect. In spring, aphids hatch from their eggs, and through the growing season, the female aphids can reproduce without mating and give live birth instead of depositing the eggs elsewhere. These factorsr reduce the need for mating or egg laying, speeding up reproduction, meaning they can spread like wildfire across acres and acres of farmland.
In order to diagnose an infestation, weekly checks at 10 or so random samples of plants are enough to discover the problem. Similarly, poorer crop yield and decaying plants are warning signs of aphids.
After the problem is recognized, some ways to solve it are to release ladybeetles into your fland, since they are natural predators, as are several parasitic wasps, green lacewing larvae, and syrphid fly larvae. It has been established that without a steady population of natural predators, aphids thrive, but when natural enemies have made a place for themselves in the ecosystem, the aphid population is controlled reasonably well. In addition to natural controls, insecticides also reduce aphid populations, but the results are less effective each time, as they are building a resistance to chemical control.
Aphids may serve an important role towards the bottom of the food chain, but truly they are pests. To increase recognition, pictures of aphids are attached below. The hope of the author is that the reader is now equipped with more knowledge than they came in with, and is capable of recognizing aphids and combating them and their effects. Again, for some, aphids have little to no effect on our lives, but for other, aphids take away key crops that sustain us. Therefore, it is important that we be equipped and capable in the face of adversity. Thank you.
2) Planet Natural. “How to Get Rid of Aphids.” Planet Natural, www.planetnatural.com/pest- problem-solver/lawn-pests/aphid-control/.
All aphids are in the order Hemiptera, with most aphids being in the family Aphididae. There are a few smaller families of aphids, the Adelidae and Phylloxeridae, but to do the most good for the reader in the shortest amount of time, the Aphididae will be given priority. Aphids are also known as plant lice, because they are eating and therefore damaging any vegetation. The cause for concern is that aphids typically target fields and farmlands, acquiring taste for a certain species of corn or soybean, for example, which results in a highly degraded crop for humans to sustain ourselves on. Also, aphids do a sadistically good job of transmitting viruses from plant to plant, further damaging them.This of course has obvious economic and social ramifications, and the interest of time, it is inferred that the reader has prior knowledge of such things.
To recognize aphids in vegetation, they range in coloration from pale yellow to any shade of green to even bluish-gray. All aphids share two hornlike appendages dorsal on their abdomen, and they tend to flock together on leaves as well. Aphids have one of the highest reproductive potentials of any insect. In spring, aphids hatch from their eggs, and through the growing season, the female aphids can reproduce without mating and give live birth instead of depositing the eggs elsewhere. These factorsr reduce the need for mating or egg laying, speeding up reproduction, meaning they can spread like wildfire across acres and acres of farmland.
In order to diagnose an infestation, weekly checks at 10 or so random samples of plants are enough to discover the problem. Similarly, poorer crop yield and decaying plants are warning signs of aphids.
After the problem is recognized, some ways to solve it are to release ladybeetles into your fland, since they are natural predators, as are several parasitic wasps, green lacewing larvae, and syrphid fly larvae. It has been established that without a steady population of natural predators, aphids thrive, but when natural enemies have made a place for themselves in the ecosystem, the aphid population is controlled reasonably well. In addition to natural controls, insecticides also reduce aphid populations, but the results are less effective each time, as they are building a resistance to chemical control.
Aphids may serve an important role towards the bottom of the food chain, but truly they are pests. To increase recognition, pictures of aphids are attached below. The hope of the author is that the reader is now equipped with more knowledge than they came in with, and is capable of recognizing aphids and combating them and their effects. Again, for some, aphids have little to no effect on our lives, but for other, aphids take away key crops that sustain us. Therefore, it is important that we be equipped and capable in the face of adversity. Thank you.
1) Madison, University of Wisconsin. “Aphids.” Wisconsin Vegetable Entomology, 8 Oct. 2018, labs.russell.wisc.edu/vegento/pests/aphids/.
2) Planet Natural. “How to Get Rid of Aphids.” Planet Natural, www.planetnatural.com/pest- problem-solver/lawn-pests/aphid-control/.
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