What Do Aphids Eat ?
Aphids, also referred to as plant lice or greenflies, are insects which feed on plants. Their reproduction is usually very high and they can move from place to place easily with the wind. Aphids with wings can fly over oceans and cover as much as 1,000 miles. In the Midwestern region of the US, aphids are yellow green or sometimes red in color.
Aphids depend on the sap of plants for food, while some species feed on only a particular type of plants. Most aphids feed on different types of roses, while others feed on bamboo, willow, oak, walnut, maple, sugarcane, lettuce, alfalfa and more. Some types of aphids are also known to feed on grape vines.
It has been seen that in majority of cases, aphids feed on plants they love, but on rare occasions they tend to feed on other types of plants also.
When they feed, aphids produce a sugary substance known as honey dew. Adult aphids suck the sap from many parts of almost all plants, which include flowers, leaves, fruits, stems and also roots. So, nearly every single part of a plant is used as a food source by aphids.
Aphids can also cause widespread damage to cereals by spreading the barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) while they are feeding on the crop. This can potentially destroy the entire crop.
These pests are destructive insects, and all measures should be taken to eliminate from a garden or a field. They can wreak havoc quite fast.
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