Description
Aphids are a common insect pest with over 100 different species found in Aotearoa New Zealand. They are small, soft bodied, pear-shaped insects that usually grow 2 to 4 millimetres long. Aphids can be winged or wingless.
The colour of aphids can vary by species depending on time of year, and the plants they are feeding on. Common colour variations include yellow, green, black and white. They can also have a woolly appearance.
Many aphid species can reproduce without males, and most species give birth to live young. In warmer climates they can do this year-round. In cooler climates they overwinter by mating and laying eggs that hatch in spring.
| Scientific names | Māori/common names |
|---|---|
| Asplenium spp., Blechnum spp., Cyathea spp., Dicksonia spp. | Ferns, ponga, hen and chicken fern, whekīwhekī, whekīwhekī ponga, pikopiko, kiokio |
| Fuchsia spp. | Climbing, trailing or creeping fuchsia, tree fuchsia, kōtukutuku |
| Fuscospora spp. | Beech, nothofagus, tawhairauriki, tawhairaunui |
| Pittosporum spp. | Karo, tarata, lemonwood, kohukohu, black matipo, kōhūhū |
| Podocarpus tōtara | Tōtara |
| Veronica spp. | Hebe |
Scientific names
Asplenium spp., Blechnum spp., Cyathea spp., Dicksonia spp.
Māori/common names
Ferns, ponga, hen and chicken fern, whekīwhekī, whekīwhekī ponga, pikopiko, kiokio
Scientific names
Fuchsia spp.
Māori/common names
Climbing, trailing or creeping fuchsia, tree fuchsia, kōtukutuku
Scientific names
Fuscospora spp.
Māori/common names
Beech, nothofagus, tawhairauriki, tawhairaunui
Scientific names
Pittosporum spp.
Māori/common names
Karo, tarata, lemonwood, kohukohu, black matipo, kōhūhū
Scientific names
Podocarpus tōtara
Māori/common names
Tōtara
Scientific names
Veronica spp.
Māori/common names
Hebe
Symptoms and damage
Aphids are sap-sucking insects that can spread diseases and viruses, and stress or weaken plants. They like to feed on the soft new shoots or growing tips of plants and will often cluster on new growth.
Aphid damage to plant foliage can include wilting and distortion of leaves and new shoots.
Aphids excrete honeydew, which ants and wasps feed on. Honeydew can have a negative effect on plants by inhibiting photosynthesis, which can affect plant growth. It also provides a breeding ground for fungi including sooty mould.
Prevention and control tips
- biological control organisms
- chemical insecticides
- neem
- organic pyrethrum
- plant soap
- spray oil.
Natural predators
- earwigs
- hoverflies
- lacewings
- ladybirds
- parasitic wasps
- spiders
- wasps.
Photo by Stephen Thorpe - some rights reserved- (CC- BY)