Woolly aphid Eriosoma lanigerum waxy extrusions and aphids on apple wood. However, the carnivorous caterpillars do not appear to hunt beech blight aphids. Do not confuse them with the Woolly Beech Aphid (Phyllaphis fagi) which only occurs on European beech (F. sylvatica) and its cultivars. Woolly alder aphid feeds on alder and then silver maple. Description. Beech Woolly Aphid (Phyllaphis fagi) This is an aphid pest specific to Beech hedges and trees, it is easy to spot as patches of white fluff on the undersides of the leaves that looks a little like cotton wool. Woolly alder aphid Woolly aphids on hawthorn Young stages are bald whereas older stages are covered by a waxy coating. One common member of this group is the woolly beech aphid which is primarily found on European varieties of beech (Fagus). Download this stock image: Woolly beech aphid (Phyllaphis fagi), damage of beech leaves, Germany - EBN2P6 from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors. The insects are Woolly Beech Aphids, Phyllaphis fagi. The gray/black stuff on the ground is sooty mold growing on the tremendous amount of honeydew they produce. Beech blight aphid forms masses of bluish-white woolly aphids on the undersides of stems, sometimes causing the death of twigs, small branches and even young trees. And what is the difference between a Woolly Aphid and a Beech Blight Aphid? You can read more about this fascinating stabbing behavior of beech blight aphids by clicking on the hotlinks beneath the publication titles below: Dancing Woolly Aphids Will Probably Stab You Figure 8: Leafcurl ash aphids, a type of woolly aphid. A strange aphid called the woolly beech aphid, a.k.a. Covering the aphid’s back, was white thread like pieces of waxy filaments. Antennae of woolly beech aphids are shorter than their body. This causes the leaves to curl downwards on both sides of the mid-rib, and often to wither and die prematurely. Other species of woolly aphids include the woolly elm aphid (elm, service berry as alternate host), woolly elm bark aphid (American and slippery elm), beech blight aphid (beech), and woolly alder aphid (alder and silver maple). Pest: Beech Blight Aphid - (Grylloprociphilus imbricator (Fitch)) A somewhat uncommon pest for Massachusetts has the potential to become an issue in certain years. Neutral: On Jun 15, 2007, msnancy from Hampton, VA wrote: I found these aphids in Bryson City, NC, at the Deep Creek national park. Identification and treatment is broadly the same. Woolly beech aphid is medium sized (2-3 mm), elongate, yellow-green in colour. Malus x … The aphids are only found on the twigs and branches of American beech (Fagus grandifolia). See "Dancing woolly aphids will probably stab you" in More Information below for the complete story. Indeed, both aphids belong to the same subfamily, Eriosomatinae (woolly and gall-making aphids), and the same tribe, Pemphigini. Authors: Donald Lewis . Each adult woolly aphid can produce up to five young per day. Woolly aphids are spectacular when sitting on twigs in large assemblages, and startling as individuals, flying through the air like bits of fluff or feathers. Perhaps the blight aphid's gyrations are a war dance! Woolly beech aphid (Phyllaphis fagi). beech blight aphid and boogie-woogie aphid, makes American beech its home. Sometimes numbers are high enough on beech hedges to warrant control measures. After placing the beech twig under the microscope, it was pretty easy to see individual insects, aphids, waving their curled-up butt ends in the air. Woolly aphid is a nuisance. Treatments Check susceptible plants regularly for infestations and treat pruning cuts with a wound sealant to remove this source of sap. Pest description and damage Several species of aphids can become problems on beech. I thought they were duck down feathers floating around until one lighted on my arm. This article is specific to woolly aphids which attack apple trees however the very same pests also attack pyracantha, beech and cotoneaster. This aphid feeds on a single host species, beech. Because of their white woolly appearance they are sometimes confused with mealybugs. spruce twig aphid tent caterpillars thrips viburnum leaf beetle violet gall midge western poplar clearwing western spotted cucumber beetle white pine weevil whiteflies woolly alder aphid new woolly ash aphid woolly beech aphid. As always, we can look at the solution within nature; there are many predators of woolly aphids and their presence can reduce the numbers in the colonies on your plants. Infestations are often kept in check by predators. Figure 11. The young woolly aphids are green or blue in color. This aphid is capable of producing incredible amounts of fluffy white wax from specialized wax glands lining its abdomen. A On a healthy tree, woolly aphid is unlikely to do much damage, though it can harm young trees or those weakened by disease or poor growing conditions However, sticky masses can be a nuisance when harvesting fruit. One of my Camellias in the garden is prone to woolly aphid. Some aphids are categorized as woolly aphids and these produce waxy strands over their bodies. The woolly beech aphid gets its name because its body is covered with waxy wool-like filaments. In winged stages the abdomen is wax-covered. The aphids are covered entirely … Beech blight aphid (Grylloprociphilus imbricator). Figure 10: Winged and wingless forms of the green peach aphid. This is conventionally achieved by spraying with insecticide. woolly aphid. Woolly aphids are small bugs which attack the bark (not the leaves) of apple trees by sucking the sap from stems, branches and even the main trunk. Most of the sooty molds are generalists and can be found on the honeydews of several insects, but Scorias spongiosa appears to be a specialist. Applying neem oil, natural insecticidal soap, and horticultural oil is not always possible. Back to Home Check susceptible plants frequently from spring onwards so action can be taken before a damaging population has developed. Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Horticulture and Home Pest News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. These sap-sucking insects cover themselves with waxy filaments to deter predators. The woolly beech aphid, Phyllaphis fagi, and rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae, are serious pests P. fagi is a specialist on the European beech tree, Fagus sylvatica [1] and is responsible for reducing the aesthetics of F. sylvatica in nurseries, causing economic losses to the nursery industry. Decreasing day length signals the alder crowd to produce winged … These are active in the spring only and produce large amounts of honeydew that may create aesthetic problems. Woolly Beech Aphid Woolly Beech Aphid - Phyllaphis fagi. There are many ways to prevent an aphid attack and eliminate an aphid infestation without calling in pest control, using systemic insecticides, or using formulations of malathion. A female aphid reproduces parthenogenetically, popping out live young (clones) all over her host plant without benefit of male companionship and without eggs. 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