Are you seeing aphids and you wonder, “Where Do Aphids Come From?”
Where do Aphids live? Why do your plants suddenly have an infestation of aphids? Do they come from the soil and what role do ants play in the survival and spread of aphids?
In this article, we’ll answer all these questions and more to find where aphids live and where do aphids come from.
Where Do Aphids Live?
Aphids live on host plants. They can hide on leaves or in their curls. If you have indoor or outdoor plants, you are at risk of an aphid infestation.
Winged aphids can move from one host plant to another to start a new infestation. Strong winds and accidental human transportation can also bring aphids over to your plants.
Where Do Aphids Even Come From?
Aphids are born in the spring from eggs that hatch on the primary host plant. This is the first generation. In the winter, the eggs remain on the plants and they all hatch into females.
These females are capable of developing into adults who can give birth to live aphid babies over the spring and summer.
Each female lives for about 25 days. She gives birth to around 80 aphids or less until her time here is complete. Aphids come from their winged counterparts landing on new host plants or through strong winds and human transportation.
Where Do Aphids Usually Live?
Aphids find food off their host plants. They suck the sap of off many plants including hibiscus plants, which is one of their favorites.
They can hide in the curls of many leaves and go unnoticed. They are camouflaged and hard to see with a first glance. You will have to lean in closer to find out how advanced the aphid infestation is on your plant.
You will also find them on softer stems, buds of flowers and on fruits. They prefer new growth over tougher leaves and foliage that have been established for a while.
Do Aphids Come From The Soil?
Aphids are not coming from the soil.
- Winged aphids fly and land on host plants.
- Eggs are attached to these plants over the winter.
- They hatch into females during the spring.
- The females give birth to live aphids and they spread like wildfire.
This is the growing season when it is hot outside. The infestation can look like it’s coming from the soil when you see aphids boring into the root of plants.
They scar plants above the root line and this allows the plant to be susceptible to mildew and disease. Plants wither, get deformed, lose color and eventually die.
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Where Can You Find Aphids?
You can find aphids in the following places:
- bushes
- shrubs
- trees
- leaves
- soft stems
- buds
- above the root line
- fruits
Look under the petals of flowers and in the curls of leaves. They are hiding on the undersides of leaves or crawling up new growth, soft stems and preferably younger plants.
Which Plants Do Aphids Love To Eat?
Aphids are looking to suck the sap out of plenty of plants. They are opportunistic and not going to be picky when they find a rich food source.
The following plants are known to contain aphid infestation especially during the growing season over the spring and summer.
- roses
- sunflowers
- dahlias
- tomato buds
- peaches
- plums
- apples
- cherries
- berries
- hibiscus
Use plenty of water to spray the undersides of leaves to knock these aphids off. You can start first with soapy water on your plants to loosen their grip while suffocating their pores. Then you can wash off the soapy water with your hose of spray bottle of pure water.
How Did My Plant Get Aphids?
Aphids look like lice on plants and sometimes they are referred to as such. Plant lice or aphids are brought indoors in the following ways:
- They hitch a ride on our clothes.
- They are attached to plants we bring into our homes.
- The wind blows them in through open doors and windows.
Aphids are:
- green
- yellow
- red
- orange
- beige
- pink
- black
The reason why we list these colors are to show you how they can camouflage themselves on various, colorful host plants and go unnoticed when they arrive in our gardens or in our homes.
Where Do Aphids Come From Outdoors?
Winged aphids are adults that hide during the winter if they can stay alive. They look for craggy barks on trees nearby until early spring arrives.
They are looking to build the first generation of aphids on host plants. Once the weather permits, they will fly over to your garden and act as scouts for a suitable location to start a new infestation.
Why Do I Have So Many Aphids in My Garden?
Your garden needs some help from nature and you can get involved as well to reduce the number of aphids that have appeared.
They may have arrived by gusts of wind blowing in the direction of your garden during the early spring. They eggs may have attached to the sap producing plants in your garden.
- Add more ladybugs to your garden.
- Allow beetles to devour aphids.
- Spray more water on the undersides of plants.
- Address any poor soil conditions.
- Do not overcrowd your plants in your garden.
- Spray with soapy water and wash it off after with water alone.
Use these recommendations to reduce aphids in your garden.
Do Ants Bring Aphids?
Ants and aphids have a special relationship that is symbiotic. Ants protect aphids on the stems of plants or their leaves. When predators look to make their over to this plant, the ants protect the passageways and disallow them from venturing towards the aphids.
Aphids are able to provide the honeydew for ants to enjoy as well. This relationship benefits both parties and allows their infestation to continue on your plants.
We hope you are able to control and get rid of aphids on your plants. We have plenty more articles on aphids to help you so do so. Thanks for visiting ThePestManagement.com for the best information to help you to make the pest control process easy, safe & affordable.