What’s bugging you? The wooly aphid shown on a dime. (Photo by Marc Franke).
What’s bugging you?
Those brave enough to venture outdoors this time of year may find the little pests in their hair, in their eyes, ears and mouth. The air is so thick with them they are easily inhaled!
It’s been difficult to ignore the return of those little blue flies. Their invasion of the area seems to have occurred overnight and they may prove to be quite a nuisance before they disappear. A couple of questions frequently asked are “Where do they come from?” and “How can there be so many?”
Parthenogenesis - reproduction without mating
Female aphids do not need to mate with males to produce eggs that will hatch. About 50 daughters at a time can be hatched without mating. These young daughters already have eggs developing inside their bodies. Ultimately, aphids can produce as many as twelve generations in a summer!
In one year the descendants of one aphid would weigh as much as 600 million people – if every descendant survived that long.
The first cycle of aphids are usually seen without wings in the months of May and June. Aphids may be found on the leaves, stems, bark and roots of many different plants, particularly apple, maple and alder trees. They suck the sap from plants, causing the leaves to curl up, wither and eventually die. Aphids can damage fruits and vegetables and may spread plant diseases from crop to crop.
There are many types of aphids, those swarming around Orofino these past few weeks are known as “woolly aphids.” The name comes from the fluffy strands of white wax which is produced from two short tube-shaped weapons called cornicles located on their backs. When threatened, the cornicles of the woolly aphid produce a waxy substance which may make the predator’s mouth slippery, enabling the aphid to escape.
The time of year that an aphid is born seems to determine much about its life. Aphids born in the spring are wingless and female. Reproducing rapidly, the aphids crowd themselves onto plants in huge numbers, eventually destroying the host. When overpopulation causes food to run out, usually in the fall, aphids produce winged females that fly off in cloudlike swarms to find new supplies.
The above information was generously provided by Richard Whitten, Entomologist.