Recently, there was an infestation of aphids in the Cornell Cooperative Extension office here in Auburn. Unfortunately it was caught too late and many of our annual plants had to be removed and disposed of. This was my first encounter with these insects on such a large scale, and it got me thinking.

“If I'm unsure of how to prevent and treat an aphid outbreak right here in our education office, how many gardeners are having the same problem?”

Before we can prevent or treat any plant for aphids, we have to be able to recognize one. They are to plants, what lice are to people - tiny, soft-bodied insects which inhabit the underside of leaves and stems, quickly multiplying into large colonies. Their colors range from white, red, brown, yellow and black, but each has a pear-shaped body and elongated antennae. Interestingly enough, aphids appear as a species with or without wings.

If you are unable to directly recognize the insect itself, keep your eye open for a sticky substance on the plant leaves.

This is excess sap or honeydew left behind from the aphids.

Now that we can properly identify what the bug itself looks like, it is necessary to understand why they are detrimental to plants. In fact, aphids are responsible for damage to fruits, vegetables and ornamentals.

They pierce the leaves and suck juices from the plant. This causes curling, deformation and a decrease in fruiting.

The puncture wounds are windows for disease, and aphids can transfer viruses from plant to plant. Another direct effect of having aphids is the growth of sooty mold from honeydew left behind; it is unsightly and reduces plant or fruit worth.

Controlling aphids is tricky. Their ability to transfer from plant to plant and high reproductive rate in large colonies makes them a nasty pest.

Check your garden for “mummies,” or large bloated parasitized aphids infected by wasps. You can also look for beneficial larvae from lady beetles or lacewings, which feed on aphids and thus attracted to large populations. Yellow sticky boards are used to monitor plants, as they attract aphids and make them easily visible.

Once you've detected a population you can rinse the plants under a higher power hose, trying not to damage the plants themselves. An insecticidal soap or malathion can also be used, but contact a professional or Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County for additional information. In certain cases, natural populations of the lady beetles or lacewings will prove detrimental to the aphid colony naturally.

Alas, the fate of the office garden has already been sealed.

If aphids have not yet reached your garden, take my advice and look out.

For more information on aphids, contact or visit Cornell Cooperative Extension at 248 Grant Ave. or call

255-1183.

Alexa Weigel-Krause is an AmeriCorps environmental education assistant at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County.