Search results
5 lis 2022 · Aphid Predators: Which Insects Eat Aphids? Aphids are destructive little pests that feed on all kinds of vegetables, fruits, flowers, shrubs, and trees. Unfortunately, there’ nearly 5,000 different aphid species spread across the world: black aphids, green aphids, yellow aphids, red aphids, even white aphids too!
Insects that attack aphids include the adults and larvae of predatory ladybirds, hoverfly larvae, parasitic wasps, aphid midge larvae, "aphid lions" (the larvae of green lacewings), and arachnids such as spiders.
Aphids are soft-bodied insects that use their piercing sucking mouthparts to feed on plant sap. They usually occur in colonies on the undersides of tender terminal growth. Heavily-infested leaves can wilt or turn yellow because of excessive sap removal.
Aphids are very common insects and are found on most plants in yards and gardens. In most cases they cause little or no damage to the health of plants. Signs of severe aphid feeding are twisted and curled leaves, yellowed leaves, stunted or dead shoots and poor plant growth.
Minute pirate bugs (Anthocoridae) – the tiny, distinctively patterned black and white adults and the pinkish-yellow to light brown nymphs and adults are very active and will feed on small aphids. Parasitic wasps (Braconidae, Aphelinidae) – most of these wasps have similar developmental processes.
Beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, lacewings, damsel bugs, or hoverflies, feed on aphids. Attract these insects to your garden by providing a welcoming environment, including access to water and a range of flowering and other plants.
Insects from the families Aphidiinae (not to be confused with the aphid subfamily Aphidinae) and Aphelinus are parasites that specialize on aphids. Both of these groups inject an egg into the body of an aphid. The egg then hatches and the larva feeds upon the aphid's body from the inside out.
