Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
98
99
98
Colony of honeysuckle aphid (
Hyadaphis passerinii
).
99
Honeysuckle aphid (
Hyadaphis passerinii
) damage to
flower buds of
Lonicera
.
Hyadaphis passerinii
(del Guercio) (
98-99
)
syn.
H. lonicerae
Börner
Honeysuckle aphid
A generally common pest of honeysuckle (
Lonicera
).
Virtually cosmopolitan. Widespread in Europe.
Hyalopterus pruni
(Geoffroy) (
100
)
Mealy plum aphid
A cosmopolitan and generally common pest of damson
and plum; also inhabits certain other kinds of
Prunus
grown as ornamentals, of which almond (
P. dulcis
) is an
example. The winter is passed in the egg stage on host
trees. The eggs hatch in the early spring, usually by the
white-bud stage, and dense colonies of the light green to
bluish-grey, mealy-coated aphids (1.5-2.6 mm long)
eventually develop on the leaves and shoots. The aphids
produce vast quantities of honeydew and, although they
do not cause leaf curl (cf.
Brachycaudus helichrysi
,
p. 58), infested plants are disfigured by accumulations
of mealy wax and honeydew, and by the subsequent
development of sooty moulds. In summer, winged
aphids migrate mainly to reed (
Phragmites communis
).
A return migration to winter hosts occurs in the autumn.
DESCRIPTION
Apterous female:
1.3-2.3 mm long: dark bluish green,
with a waxy bloom; antennae and legs black; siphunculi
black and swollen; cauda black and elongate.
Alate:
1.3-2.3 mm long; abdomen green, mottled with darker
green, and with a dark patch at the base of the
siphunculi.
LIFE HISTORY
Colonies develop on the underside of honeysuckle
leaves from the early spring onwards. Winged forms are
eventually produced, and these migrate during the
summer to umbelliferous hosts (Apiaceae), especially
hemlock (
Conium maculatum
). Colonies on
honeysuckle then die out. A return migration to
honeysuckle, the primary host, takes place in the
autumn.
Idiopterus nephrelepidis
Davis
Fern aphid
An American species, now widely distributed in Europe
on cultivated ferns, especially ladder fern (
Nephrolepis
exaltata
), maidenhair fern (
Adiantum capillus-veneris
),
Polypodium
and
Pteris
growing in heated conditions;
infestations also spread to African violet (
Saintpaulia
hybrida
),
Cyclamen
and
Streptocarpus
.
DAMAGE
Heavy attacks affect both shoot growth and flower
development. Infested hosts also become sticky with
honeydew and fouled by sooty moulds.
DESCRIPTION
Apterous female:
1.3 mm long; dark green to black,
with capitate body hairs and whitish antennae; legs
long, slender and mainly white; siphunculi white but
blackish basally.
Alate:
1.4-1.6 mm long; black to dark
olive-green; wings mottled with dark brown.
Hyadaphis foeniculi
(Passerini)
Fly-honeysuckle aphid
Virtually identical to the previous species, with which it
is often confused, but associated with fly-honeysuckle
(
Lonicera xylosteum
).
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