Pacific Pests & Pathogens - Mini Fact Sheet Edition

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Green peach aphid (350)

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Photo 1. Adult, wingless, green peach aphid; the white remains of the skin of the last moult remain attached to two aphids.

Photo 2. Nymphs of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, on capsicum.

Photo 3. Adults and nymphs of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, on sweetpotato. Note the brown tinge to many of the adults.

Photo 4. Adult, winged, green peach aphid, Myzus persicae.

Photo 5. Adult, winged, green peach aphid, Myzus persicae.

Summary

• Worldwide distribution. On fruit trees, and many vegetables. An important pest.
• Damage: i) feeds on sap causing distortions and wilts; ii) produces honeydew leading to sooty moulds; and iii) spreads more than 100 viruses.
• Adults, 2 mm long, greenish-yellow, sometimes with brown tinge, winged or wingless, giving birth without fertilisation (in the tropics). No males. 
• Spread by winged forms, and also in wind and storms, and trade in plants.
• Natural enemies: predators and wasp parasitoids (Aphidius and Aphelinus).
• Cultural control: weed; certified seed (beans); avoid planting down-wind from infested crops; remove volunteers; grow flowering plants to attract wasps; inspect crops often - remove infested plants or leaves (or spray); use plastic mulches, row covers; control ants with boiling water; collect and destroy debris after harvest.
• Chemical control: PDPs (chilli, derris, neem, pyrethrum); soap solution, white or horticultural oils. Note, synthetic pyrethroids will kill predators and parasitoids (but useful against ants).

Common Name

Green peach aphid

Scientific Name

Myzus persicae

This mini fact sheet is a part of the app Pacific Pests and Pathogens

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