Early Symptoms of Aphids
Of all the pests that can affect the garden, aphids are the worst. They do not eat leaves or fruits, but actually, absorb plant life. As they grow their colonies and use the same amount of food crops and ornamentals, the plants will weaken and decay. Although the damage they do to plants is minor, parasites can carry and spread some serious plant diseases. Between direct and indirect damage, and how quickly they reproduce, aphids are the most destructive pests that can be fought during the summer months.
About aphids
There are about 5,000 species in the Aphididae insect family, and they all live on nutrient-rich extracts from leaves, twigs, stems, or roots of plants. Some aphid species are common to a wide variety of plant species and are experts in attacking only certain plant families. Cabbage aphids prefer cruciferous plants. Potato aphids prefer nightshades, including peppers and tomatoes. Melon aphids infest cucumber and asparagus, eggplant, and pepper. Green peach aphids can also infect hundreds of other food crops and flowers. Woolly aphids often eat trees, especially apples and pears. There are rose aphids, oak aphids, and spirea aphids - one aphid per plant!
5 symptoms of an aphid infection
The onset of an aphid attack is usually small and only begins on one plant. If left untreated, aphids can multiply rapidly and spread like wildfire to other parts of your garden. Minimize damage by detecting colonies in advance. Things to note here:
1. Weak or decaying plants
Aphids are teenage things, and because they are mostly green, they can be difficult to spot because they blend properly into plants. Look for them at the base of young leaves or newly sprouted stems. They tend to accumulate in new succulent growths. In most cases, their food leaves no visible traces on the plant. It may stop growing as vigorously as the others.
In severe infections or in plants that are sensitive to aphids, the leaves may turn yellow, twist, or curl. Some species of aphids from gallbladder, which is an abnormal inflammation of the plant tissue in the stems, leaves, or roots. Aphid colonies live inside the gallbladder, which protects them by eating plant sap.
2. Small white scales around plants
After birth, nymphs pass through four stages of development and mature into mature aphids. Each time they transform, they grow a little larger and shed their skin. The colony of nymphs melts their outer skeleton, constantly shedding, forming small white scales on the ground.
3. Honey in the foliage
Because aphids feed on plant sap through their needle-like proboscis, they inject their own saliva into the host plant. This helps the plant digest sugars. Plant sugars that cannot be digested by aphids pass through them in the form of sugar waste. This sticky and glossy material is basically aphid boob - and they produce a lot!
Honey leaves, stems, and bark are easy to cover. Among the aphids that feed on the tree, the honeycomb collects under the canopy - on driveways, cars, sidewalks, patio furniture, and basement plants. Honeydew is preferred by ants, but the yellow jacket is also eaten by wasps and bees. Noticing an increase in the activity of other pests around your plants is a good sign that the sticky substance is honey.
4. Black mouse mold
Where there is honey, the mouse axis will grow. When blown in the wind, mouse ax spores stick to honeycomb-covered leaves, stems, branches, or fruit. The mouse axis is not parasitic to the plant. It uses honey as its only source of nutrients. As the fungus progresses, it sends out dark mycelium threads that appear as a charcoal black film on the leaves of plants. This will eventually coat the foliage and prevent sunlight. Since it does not affect the plant, mouse print damage is usually minimal and often aesthetic. You can wash it from the leaves of the plant in soapy water, but it will come back until you control the honey-producing pest.
5. Plant viruses
The worst thing about aphids is that silage does not need to be absorbed, which will prevent the plants from really thriving. They create the perfect culture for fungi to set foot in your garden Not the abundant honeycomb that produces. The disease causes the most severe damage to plants caused by aphids. Aphids are the most common vector for plant viruses and can carry over 100 different viral diseases to plants.
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