Eriosomatinae
Just in case there were n’t enough white waxy insects for you to recount apart already , such as scales and mealybugs , here is another fluffy case .
Now introducing the shrub- and tree diagram - loving woolly aphid , an insect that takes the waxy coat game to a whole new level .
Aphids are ill-famed flora pests , and the hazy type can be just as voiceless to identify by species – and sometimes even toilsome to control – than their smooth , glossy relation .
Galls caused by woolly apple aphids.
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We ’ve compiled everything you need to know about these sap - go down on pests , so you ’ll roll in the hay how to deal with them when they show up on your apples or landscape trees .
Here ’s what we ’ll cover in this guide :
Galls caused by woolly apple aphids.
What You’ll Learn
What Are Woolly Aphids ?
recognition
biological science and Life Cycle
supervise
Organic Control
Chemical Pesticides
Belonging to the Aphididae subfamily Eriosomatinae , these gadfly suck in the sap from a variety of plants , especially tree diagram and shrubs such as edible and cosmetic Malus pumila , cotoneaster , maple , elm , alder tree , and beechwood .
They feed on both hugger-mugger and aboveground character of these plants , from the roots to the twigs and leaves .
This causes twisted and kink leaves as well as chlorosis , or yellowing of the foliage , and may result in shrink plant vigor .
Some species cause galls , which can provide entry points for fungous diseases .
However , the primary damaging effect of these woolly creatures is cosmetic , and their main hosts are ornamental , so infestations of snowy downy insects are not appealing .
Like other saphead - lactate pestilence , these dirt ball transude sweet honeydew , which attract ants , and an slimy blacksooty moldcan maturate on stickied leaf surfaces .
Woolly aphids have three - millimeter - foresightful , Pyrus communis - shaped bodies that are wrap up in a white , waxy , fluffy coating .
There are several usual species to seem out for on your plant . Often , the legion gives the best hint to help identify what metal money is aggress , as the insects themselves can look quite exchangeable .
The woolly apple aphid , Eriosoma lanigerum , is a common and serious Malus pumila pest worldwide .
As its name suggests , it loves apples of all case , admit ornamentalcrabapples , but it will also fertilize on elm , alder , mountain ash , haw , shadbush , and pyracantha .
These have blueish - black bodies under their blanched fluff , and they course on the foot of newfangled shoots , branches , roots , and trunk wounds .
Their alimentation cause bile to form , and these cracked and swollen orbit on branch – consummate entry point for disease such as rots and pestilence – are the basal reason these insects are such serious pests , and why they are sometimes called American blight aphids .
Woolly elm aphids , Eriosoma americanum , feed on American elm foliage in the spring , and the roots ofserviceberry(also have it away asSaskatoon berry ) as an alternative host in the summertime .
On elms , eating causes the bound of Modern leaf to seethe inwards and form a insolence - like swelling where they hide out . On Saskatoon berry George Bush , especially young plant , etymon feeding can result in stunting and boil down berry production , and the hurt can be fatal .
On the elm tree , the grownup has a flushed - orange consistence with some white sticky bubble , or it may be covered with a waxy cotton fiber - comparable coating . On the serviceberry , where they are found underground , they are clear blue to black , and may have some waxy fluff on their thoraxes .
The woolly alder aphid , Prociphilus tessellatus , course on silverish maple in the spring , and alder in the summertime .
This is the super fluffy metal money you may already be familiar with , and they look like pieces of cotton float through the air when they ’re fly , or fungus kingdom when they ’re congregate on twigs . Even their eggs are woolly .
Besides calculate a little strange or even worthless on the plant , this metal money does n’t cause significant damage .
heavy populations can cause sear leaves , and the honeydew they produce can make fomite , pavement , and any lawn piece of furniture position under the maple or alder trees sticky .
But these egress are n’t ordinarily serious enough to warrant controller .
Most of the woolly aphid have two elemental hosts , which they interchange eating and reproduce on .
Often , they lay egg on the primary host , the eggs overwinter in the cracks of barque , females hatch in the spring , and they begin to farm live issue .
They will spend a few generation feed and reproducing , without male person , on the primary server plant .
A propagation of winged female person will vanish to the junior-grade legion presently after , and they will pass most of the ease of the season feed and reproducing there .
In the late summertime or other free fall , a second undulation of fly female person point back to the primary host , and produce a generation of males and females .
These first mate , and each female lays one egg that will overwinter and think of in the leaping , bring forth another all - female generation .
Some species will hatch before wintertime , and spend the season as nymphs on the host plant ’s ancestor .
Females can produce hundreds of offspring during their one - month lifetime , and these materialisation turn over intimate maturity in four to ten Clarence Day .
One of my professor described this as giving birthing to populate , significant young . Thus , populations can explode very speedily .
Keeping a nigh eye out for these pests before their population – and the damage they cause – gets out of control is all-important for in force direction .
The downside is , once the damage is visible , management pick are often limited or render inefficient .
Check the undersurface of leaves for woolly aphid population . Look out for shiny , sticky honeydew melon and an accumulation of waxy shed tegument on the upper side of parting .
They areeasily mistaken for mealybugsandscale insects . But mealybugs often have tails , and both mealybug and scales are mat while aphid are pear shaped .
Often , the recognize lineament of aphid is the two tailpipes ( cornicles ) on the end of their abdominal cavity , but they are short and often covered by fluff on woolly mintage .
Organic Control Methods
Control is not often warrant , especially on mature , healthy Tree and shrubs . However , infestations of certain species , especiallyEriosoma lanigerum , can become serious enough to bust out the control pick .
If control condition is necessary , approach these pests with anintegrated pest management ( IPM ) scheme , combining monitoring with cultural and biologic methods for good , effective control .
Cultural and Physical Control
Keep your plants healthy to achieve leeway and understate damage .
fend off planting one host – elm tree , for representative – near or in the same neck of the woods as the other host – such as serviceberry . try on to avoid finish of one host in the same expanse where wild alternate hosts are growing as well .
Physical control methods can be backbreaking or impossible to habituate on tall trees , but on smaller tree diagram and bush , you could use a strong stream of waterfrom the hoseor scrub infested orbit with a stiff brush to dislodge settlement .
Prune out and put down heavily infested twigs and outgrowth .
These pests spread by crawling , vanish , or being transported via works material , wear , gardening horseshoe , and tools , so examine Modern flora and cleanse your peter between working with infested and non - infested plants .
Plant immune mixed bag of vulgar host species . For illustration , ‘ Northern Spy ’ apples are resistant to the woolly apple aphid .
Biological Control
Parasitic wasps are the primary enemies of these pest in general , and they can often provide enough ascendance of small universe . Aphelinus mali , for good example , specifically targets the woolly Malus pumila aphid .
Lacewings , ladybug , hoverflies , andeven earwigswill nosh on them as well .
Aphidoletes aphidimyzais a commercially available predator commonly referred to as the aphid midge that can be employ and knead well in indoor preferences such as glasshouse .
The adults lie eggs near the aphid , and the lead larvae quarry on the pests .
Aphidoletes aphidimyza
Find these predatorsavailable at Arbico Organics .
None of thesebeneficial insectswill target the underground pests , however .
That is a job for the nematodeSteinernema carpocapsae , which will attack underground settlement .
NemAttack Sc
you may find these sold under the marque name NemAttackat Arbico Organics .
get a line to use good nematodes in our guide .
Organic Pesticides
Using pesticide to control these insects can be difficult , thanks to their protective waxy app .
Good reportage and insight of this downlike coating is essential to attain any effect with contact intersection , whether organic or chemical in nature .
Most of the product that are efficacious against smooth aphid types can allow for some ascendence of the fluffy types as well , provide reporting is adequate .
Monterey Horticultural Oil
Horticultural oil colour , such asthis one from Monterey that is uncommitted from Arbico Organics , and insecticidal soap ware such as this one from Bonide , also useable at Arbico Organics , are two viable option .
Bonide Insecticidal Soap
There are no constituent or chemic controls available that are specific to the treatment of underground pests .
chemic ascendency is rarely justify with these pests .
As with organic inter-group communication products , chemic contact pesticides such as pyrethroids are not very effective against them either .
Systemic chemical , those that are plunge and translocated throughout the industrial plant , are the most efficient , as these are absorb up with the tomfool they feed on .
However , chemical program can actually serve to further insect outbreaks , as these can be toxic to beneficial insects as well . Reducing or wiping out predator population pass on the aphids a prospect to reach infestation level again .
They are not choosey about pollinator either , so avoid using chemical substance on plant that attract bee and other pollinators , and if you must use them as a last resort , wait until the plants have finished blooming .
Beware the Plant-Eating Cotton Balls
Though these insects can search like devoid bit of float cotton , they can quickly settle into fluffy plant - sucking colonies .
Not only can they get foliage curl or stem galls , they also do n’t exactly create what you ’d call a worthy aesthetical on cosmetic tree and bush .
Luckily , the terms they cause is often pocket-size , and nature provides some control to go along with your cultural and physical strategies .
And for more info about other plant - suckinginsect pests , have a read of these guides next :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . in the beginning put out August 18th , 2021 . Last update April 2nd , 2025 . production photos via Arbico Organics . Uncredited pic : Shutterstock .
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Sylvia Dekker
