What are Aphids?

Aphids

Aphids are a common garden pest. Their small, soft body is pear-shaped, and individuals within a species vary in color. They may appear green, yellow, brown, red, or black. Their color changes depending on their diet. Adults are tiny, only growing to about 1/10th of an inch long. Their specialized mouthparts allow them to pierce the skin of a plant’s stems, leaves, flowers, roots, or shoots and suck out the nutritious fluid. Aphids feed together on plants in groups.

What Kinds of Aphids Are There?

Green Peach Aphids

This is one of the most common and widely distributed aphid species. It infests a variety of plants, including peaches, potatoes, and tomatoes. Green Peach Aphids can transmit plant viruses.

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Rose Aphids

These aphids are a common pest of roses and can cause yellowing and curling of leaves.

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Black Bean Aphids

These aphids are a common pest of beans and can cause stunted growth and reduced yields.

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Woolly Aphid

These aphids are characterized by their waxy, wool-like coating, which serves as protection. They can infest a variety of trees and shrubs.

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Why Are Aphids A Problem?

Aphids, seemingly innocuous insects, can quickly become a significant problem for plants and gardens. Their small size belies their potential for wreaking havoc on plant health and attracting other pests. Understanding the issues associated with aphids is crucial for effective pest management.

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Plant Damage

One of the main problems with aphids is their ability to cause damage to plants. These insects use their piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on the sap of plants, which can cause stunted growth, yellowing leaves, and a decline in overall plant health. In some cases, aphids can even transmit diseases to plants, which can be fatal if left untreated.

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Rapid Reproduction

Another issue with aphids is their ability to reproduce quickly. Female aphids are capable of giving birth to live young without mating, which means that populations can explode in a short amount of time. This can make it difficult to control an infestation, as even a small number of aphids can quickly turn into a large population.

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Attracting Other Pests

In addition to causing damage to plants, aphids can also attract other pests to your garden or home. Ants are known to feed on the honeydew that aphids excrete, which can lead to ant infestations. Additionally, aphids can also attract other predators, such as ladybugs, which can cause problems if they are not controlled.

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Overall, aphids are a pest that should be taken seriously if they are found in or around your home. If left unchecked, they can cause significant damage to plants and attract other pests to your garden. If you are experiencing an aphid infestation, it's important to take action to eliminate the problem and prevent future infestations. This may include using natural or chemical remedies, such as insecticidal soap or neem oil, as well as implementing preventative measures such as removing debris and controlling moisture levels in your garden. Contact us today to exterminate and prevent aphids at your home!

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FAQs About Aphids

Are Aphids Dangerous?

Aphids are garden pests that pose no direct danger to people or property. Throughout its lifetime, almost every plant will have aphids feeding on it at one time or another. Aphids only cause problems when a large population feeds on a single plant. The biggest problem with aphids is not their feeding habits but the large quantities of honeydew they produce. Honeydew is a sticky substance that aphids produce and leave behind on plants.

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Do I have an Aphid problem?

Aphids are attracted to plant and will eat away at leaves until the plant dies. If you notice holes in your plants' leaves make sure to take a closer look and you're sure to find aphids on or around your plants.

Where will I find Aphids?

You will find aphids around plants and other vegetation around or in the home.

How do I get rid of Aphids?

The best way to get rid of an aphid problem is to reach out to Alta Pest Control! Our professional team can help create a detailed service plan that will help protect your home from all sorts of pests, especially aphids.

How can I prevent Aphids in the future?

Aphids have found their way onto your property because it is offering them easy access to food sources. If there are plants on your property that aphids want to feed on, they will. Vegetable gardens, flower gardens, landscaping plants, fruit trees, household plants, and others attract aphids.

Aphids are primarily outdoor pests, but they do find their way inside of homes on potted plants. Aphids are usually first discovered on the underside of leaves. Gardeners discover an active aphid population when:

Leaves on the plants turn yellow.
The edges of leaves begin to curl.
Plants have a black, sticky substance.
There is a delay in the production of fruits and flowers.

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How Alta Pest Control Protects Your Home From Pests

All of our treatment plans are customized to your home and yard. We do this to ensure that you get the exact coverage you need to keep your home safe. All of our technicians and inspectors are experts in their field, so you can be sure that you are getting top-tier protection.

Get A Free Estimate

Inspection

One of our expert technicians will inspect every inch of your home and business for pest activity. Then they will create a custom plan based on their findings.

Initial Service

Once your custom plan is created, we will treat your home and yard to give you immediate relief from pests. Then, we will create a boundary around your property to prevent more pests from entering.

Follow Ups

After the initial service, we will conduct regular maintenance to ensure that your pest problems remain solved. We will also conduct free inspections for problem pests, such as termites.

Alta Guarantee

When it comes to pest control, we put our money where our mouth is. If we treat your home, and you're still seeing pests, we'll come back and retreat for free. We'll always have your back.