Insects - Pests of Ornamental Trees, Shrubs and Flowers - page 79

Subfamily HORMAPHIDINAE

LIFE HISTORY
Overwintered eggs laid on spruce hatch in the early
spring, before bud-burst. Colonies of aphids then
develop on the underside of the shoots. Winged and
wingless forms are produced from May to July, and
sexual forms appear from August onwards. Winter eggs
are deposited on the twigs during the late summer and
autumn.

A small group of small, scale-like aphids, with
siphunculi much reduced or absent.

Cerataphis orchidearum (Westwood)
Orchid aphid
This small, reddish-brown to black aphid breeds
parthenogenetically on greenhouse orchids. Apterae are
1.0-1.6 mm long, flattened and scale-like, with very
short legs and antennae, short, stubby siphunculi,
a knob-like cauda and a marginal fringe of wax. They
occur on various kinds of orchid, including tropical
climbers (e.g. Vanilla ); hosts such as Cattleya,
Cymbidium, Cypripendium, Dendrobium and
Odonotoglossumm may be damaged but the aphid is
usually not of major significance.

DAMAGE
Heavy infestations are not directly harmful, although
they may cause slight discoloration of the foliage. Sooty
moulds develop on honeydew produced by the aphids,
and this affects the appearance and, hence, the
marketability of nursery stock.

Cinara cedri Mimeur
Cedar aphid
A southerly distributed European species. Well
established in Mediterranean areas, where it forms
small colonies on the branches of cedar ( Cedrus ) trees.
Apterae are 2.5-3.0 mm long, and bright reddish brown,
with a pair of blackish longitudinal bands on the body
and black siphuncular cones; the body is partly coated
in whitish wax. Alates are similar in appearance to
apterae, but lack the dark bands; their wings are yellow.

Subfamily LACHNINAE

Aphids with terminal process of antennae very short;
siphunculi usually cone-like and very hairy; cauda
broadly rounded.

Cedrobium laportei Remaudière
Small cedar aphid
This pest, first found in North Africa, has become
widely distributed in Europe on Atlas cedar ( Cedrus
atlantica ), cedar of Lebanon ( C. libani ) and deodar
( C. deodara ). Colonies develop in spring and summer at
the base of the needles, and the aphids excrete
considerable quantities of honeydew. Infestations result
in premature loss of needles and die-back of shoots, and
may even lead to the death of host trees. Trees are also
disfigured following the development of unsightly sooty
moulds. Apterae (1.7-2.0 mm long) are greyish brown
and shiny, with pale legs and antennae.

160

Cinara pilicornis (Hartig) ( 160 )
Brown spruce aphid
An often common pest of spruce ( Picea ), including
Norway spruce ( P. abies ) grown as Christmas trees;
present throughout western Europe.

DESCRIPTION
Apterous female: 2.1-4.7 mm long; greyish brown to
brownish, and covered with fine hairs; rostrum short
and dagger-like; siphunculi short, arising from
pigmented cones; cauda inconspicuous and crescent
shaped.

160 Colony of brown spruce aphid ( Cinara pilicornis )
on Picea .