Aphid

Fascinating facts about the Aphid

• Each female lays six to ten black eggs that can survive temperatures as low as −32 °C, allowing the species to persist through harsh winters. The eggs are deposited in tiny crevices and under lichens on primary woody hosts such as spindle tree and mock-orange. More than 40 % of these overwintering eggs usually survive, although some are lost to birds or flower bugs. When spring arrives the surviving eggs hatch and restart the colony on fresh growth.
• Ants are attracted to the honeydew secreted by black bean aphids and actively climb host plants to feed on it. Species such as the black garden ant (Lasius niger) even remove ladybird predators from the vicinity, effectively protecting the aphids. In field-bean trials this ant-guarded protection reduced seed yield to an average of eight seeds per plant, compared with 17 seeds when ants were absent and 56 seeds on aphid-free plants.
• A parthenogenetic female lives about 50 days and can produce up to 30 live offspring during that time, creating a rapid source of new aphids. These daughters are also females and reproduce without mating, leading to exponential growth on the undersides of leaves and growing tips of secondary host plants. The resulting summer colonies can become massive, with both winged and wingless forms appearing as the population expands.
• The black bean aphid can feed on more than two hundred different cultivated and wild plant species, giving it a very broad diet. In winter it overwinters as eggs on primary woody hosts such as spindle tree, viburnum and mock-orange, then the hatchlings move to herbaceous secondary hosts like sugar beet, beans and carrots for the summer. This seasonal shift lets the aphid exploit both shrubs and crops, sustaining large populations throughout the year.
• The black bean aphid acts as a vector for about thirty plant viruses, most of which are non-persistent and can be rapidly transmitted. As winged individuals develop in response to crowding, they disperse to new host plants and other crops, carrying the viruses with them. This movement between crops during the summer spreads infections across fields, making the aphid a key agent in virus epidemics.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Aphid

In the warm, golden light of a summer's day, the aphid dances across the tender shoots of its host plant, its delicate, almost translucent form belied by a remarkable capacity for resilience and adaptability. With a gentle, floating gait, it navigates the intricate landscape of leaf and stem, its piercing mouthparts sipping the sweet, sticky sap that sustains it. As it moves, it leaves behind a trail of sticky honeydew, a testament to its remarkable ability to thrive in even the most ephemeral of environments.

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