Guess the Pest! Week 11 Answer: Aphids

David Owens, Extension Entomologist, owensd@udel.edu

Congratulations to Buzz Lowe for correctly identifying last week’s pest as an aphid outbreak! Although a bit unusual to find this many early, it can happen, particularly in fields that have not been treated with a neonic and have been treated with pyrethroids. Aphids congregate on the new growth, resulting in a cupping or curling of the leaf. The other clue to their presence is the sticky honeydew sheen on the black plastic. I often look for that first to reveal an aphid infestation. Aphids are not limited to melons either. They can cause issues in peppers, leafy vegetables, other species can attack tomato, and there is even one that goes after hemp. And of course, if you park a car under tulip poplar, you are well familiar with honeydew from tulip-tree aphid.