Aphid Damage
How do aphids damage plants – the damage caused by aphids?
What is the damage caused by aphids? The small vermin multiply very quickly and usually live by the hundreds or even thousands in shoots, buds, flowers, young leaves and mostly on the undersides of them. They actually attack all plant species and varieties. They only feed on their sap
- Suction damage to leaves, flowers, trunk, shoots, roots and fruit
- Discoloration of the leaves
- Discoloration of the entire plant
- Crippled or stunted growth
- Rolled leaves
- Curled leaves
- Stunted parts of the plant
- Honeydew on the leaves
- Soot fungus on the spots of the honeydew
- Transmission of viruses to plants
- Plants defaced by the soot fungus
Signs of aphid infestation
How to recognize the signs of an aphid infestation:
Deformities of the plants
Aphids can deform leaves by sucking the sap out of them. The fruit can also be deformed. Plants, leaves, buds and shoots can change their color and appearance or wither.
Honeydew on the leaves
If sticky undersides develop on the infected leaves, this is a sign of aphid infestation. The sugary honeydew excreted by the aphids is sticky and consists of excreted plant sap. This sap is very rich in carbohydrates. The honeydew can even collect on the top and on the windowsill if indoor or potted plants are affected by the pests.
Aphid gatherings – Aphid party
The small pests can be seen with the naked eye. They stay above all in the new of fresh shoots and flowers or at so-called nodes of the plants. There they suck the sap from the plant. The aphids catch the eye as they usually attach themselves to the plants together with several hundred to a thousand animals. They are only a few millimeters tall and have a kind of suction tool with which they suck the sap from the plants.
There are aphids of all kinds and colors. Some have wings if they are from a certain generation. They are usually green, black, brown or reddish in color.