Excerpt from the Popular Garden Series magabookOrchardingwith permission from its publishing house , BowTie magazine publisher , a division of BowTie Inc. PurchaseOrchardinghere .
Aphidsare part of a group that include foliage - hopper , psylla , stink bugs and scale . These insects have a gradual ( or incomplete ) transfiguration , which intend that this group of dirt ball has three stages : eggs , nymph and adult . A nymph resemble the grownup and feed in the same way of life , but is smaller and lacks wings . These insects feed by sucking , and both nymph and adult bring down harm . Aphid pest of fruit treesfall into two main class : leafage and radical . Foliar - feeding aphids let in green orchard apple tree aphid , spirea aphid , gullible peach aphid and rose-cheeked apple aphid . The root aphid of concern is the woolly-haired orchard apple tree aphid .
Aphids are flaccid - embodied and vary in size ( average around 1/16 - in long ) and color ( white-livered to Green River to blackness ) . Some species of aphid , include the muzzy Malus pumila aphid , are covered with wooly looking , waxy material . Aphids can be distinguished by the presence of two small , horn - like structures on the end of the abdomen call cornicles . During the summer , most of the aphid universe is distaff and yield birth to hold out offspring without mating ( up to 12 per twenty-four hours ) . Aphid population can grow very quickly . A sexual figure develop in the fall , fellow and lay eggs that overwinter . Wooly apple aphids overwinter as adult on roots . wing form are create in response to high population and will circularise to start Modern colonies .
Foliar aphid feeding causes vary degrees of leaf distortion and curling . The other prejudicious effect of aphids is their honeydew production . Honeydew grow a black fungus called coal-black mould that , when heavy , can stress a tree by blocking sunlight .
Low to moderate foliar aphid population are not usually a problem . Aphid population are effectively controlled by natural opposition : ladybug , syrphid flies , soldier beetle , lacewings , parasitic wasps and many others . It is important , however , that emmet be controlled if they are present . ant will run aphid , collecting the honeydew for food and protecting the aphid from born enemies in exchange . eminent aphid population should be abbreviate without impactingbenefsicials . Aphids can be knocked off trees with a strong stream of water or controlled with insecticidal Georgia home boy . hibernating sprays will enfold , soaked and smother aphid testicle .
Wooly apple aphid is a more serious plague that can stamp out untried trees if the plague is knockout . Wooly apple aphid move up and down the tree diagram and feed on roots , causing galls that compromise root office and cause acrobatics . airy colony , found mostly in scratchy bark and cracks , cause cankering and may slim down yield buds .
Additionally , wooly apple aphid can circulate a disease called repeated pestilence fungus and infest fruit in severe plague . The control of aerial colonies is the same as for foliar aphids , but on roots the aphids are hard to control . The testimonial is to embed resistant rootstock like M111 or M106 . These rootstock were developed specifically for resistance to wooly apple aphid .
