GROWERS KNOW
by Danny Klittich
Annihilate phid Invaders!
Aphids, small insects ubiquitous in gardens around the world,
are best known for making a meal out of the sap of your plants,
then leaving a sticky substance called honeydew behind. Here
are some ways to prevent aphids from sucking your plants dry.
Aphids are closely related to other
common garden pests such as
whiteflies and mealybugs. They feed
on the plant sap and excrete a sticky
substance called honeydew, which is
actually aphid pee—and aphids pee a
lot. Plant sap, which is high in sugar,
is a poor source of proteins and other
nutrients, so aphids have to eat an
incredible amount of it to get enough
nutrients. To assist in this process,
aphids have a specialized digestive
system that allows them to pull water
out of their liquid diet and excrete it
much more rapidly and efficiently than
other insects. They also have special
organisms in their gut that help process
the plant sugars into food.
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Maximum Yield USA | November 2015
What’s the Harm?
The massive amount of sap a large
infestation of aphids pulls out of
plants can stunt plant growth and
decrease yields. Furthermore, all
of this excreted sugar makes a
sticky mess on the plants. This is
where the damage associated with
aphids mos Ё