Origin:
Native to Europe, where it was known as a pest of peach trees as early as 1761. Now found throughout the world and all of North America.
Biology:
This aphid is a serious pest of plants grown for crops or ornamentals, primarily due to its role in transmitting plant viruses. It may infest plants both in the landscape and fields as well as in greenhouses, permitting it to survive throughout the year and to be transported to other locations when plants are sold commercially. It transmits a variety of serious plant viruses to an extremely wide array of crop or ornamental plants, and may be the most serious vector of plant viruses in the world. The eggs over-winter on various trees in the genus Prunus – peach, plum, apricot, etc. With warm weather the nymphs emerge, feed on these trees, and then winged forms migrate to other plants to create new generations, with up to 20 generations possible in one year in warmer climates.
Identification:
Nymphs are yellowish to green with somewhat long cornicles. Winged females have a black head and thorax, a yellow-green abdomen, and a dark patch on the top of the abdomen.
Characteristicts Important to Control:
For ornamental trees or shrubs a winter-applied soil systemic will give season long control of the aphids that feed on the foliage. For over-wintering eggs an application of dormant oil applied to likely Prunus trees will reduce populations appearing in the spring. A foliar application of a labeled product will eliminate aphids once they are feeding on a plant.