Just in case there weren’t enough white waxy insects for you to tell apart already, such as scales and mealybugs, here is another fluffy type.
Now introducing the shrub- and tree-loving woolly aphid, an insect that takes the waxy coating game to a whole new level.
Aphids are notorious plant pests, and the fuzzy types can be just as hard to identify by species – and sometimes even harder to control – than their smooth, shiny relatives.
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We’ve compiled everything you need to know about these sap-sucking pests, so you’ll know how to deal with them when they show up on your apples or landscape trees.
Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide:
What Are Woolly Aphids?Belonging to the Aphididae subfamily Eriosomatinae, these pests suck the sap from a variety of plants, especially trees and shrubs such as edible and ornamental apple, cotoneaster, maple, elm, alder, and beech.
They feed on both underground and aboveground parts of these plants, from the roots to the twigs and leaves.
This causes twisted and curled leaves as well as chlorosis, or yellowing of the foliage, and may result in reduced plant vigor.
Some species cause galls, which can provide entry points for fungal diseases.
However, the primary negative effect of these woolly creatures is cosmetic, and their main hosts are ornamental, so infestations of white fluffy insects are not appealing.
Like other sap-sucking pests, these insects exude sweet honeydew, which attracts ants, and an ugly black sooty mold can grow on stickied leaf surfaces.
IdentificationWoolly aphids have three-millimeter-long, pear-shaped bodies
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