Aphids

Family Aphididae

Appearance

•  Adults 2 - 3mm. They are usually green, although black, grey, yellow and orange varieties may also be found. Wingless forms are the most common, although winged forms enable infestations to spread.

Lifecycle

•  They reproduce asexually in the summer giving birth to live young.
•  They can live for up to a month and produce between 3 and 10 young per day.

Habits

•  They will attack most soft tissued plants preferring shoot tips and the underside of young leaves.
•  Their excretion of honeydew encourages mould to grow on the plant.