Only after these leaves fall in autumn will they be replaced by healthy new leaves in spring. It is important to note that once leaves are curled and distorted, they will stay that way and will not uncurl. Since aphids have piecing mouthparts which they use to suck sap from plants, they can spread viruses from one plant to another. The black sooty mould only sits on the leaf surface and can be washed off. The honeydew encourages the growth of black sooty mould, which turns leaf surface black, blocking out light, impairing the leaf’s ability to photosynthesise. When aphids feed, they excrete honeydew, which appears as a shiny, sticky substance covering the leaves below their feeding site. Aphids also excrete sugary honeydew which causes black sooty mould on the leaves and fruit that it falls upon. Young fruit trees are less resilient and may be killed in such circumstances. Heavy aphid infestations can weaken mature fruit trees, reducing their yields and fruit quality, and limiting fruiting in the following year. and reducing their capacity to photosynthesise effectively. Leaf-Curling aphids establish large colonies on young leafy shoots in spring, and hide on the undersides of leaves, where they feed by sucking the sap out of leaves and tender young shoots, causing the leaves to curl and yellow, stunting their growth. Green peach aphid ( Myzus persicae) – a pest of all stone fruit, particularly peaches, may also attack the flowers and fruit as well as the leaves, causing distortion and discoloration. Plum leaf-curling aphid ( Brachycaudus helichrysi) – yellow-green in colour, major pests of plums and prunes in spring, then moves to attack ornamental flowers of the Asteraceae (daisy) family in summer.īlack cherry aphid ( Myzus cerasi) – also known as cherry blackfly, shiny-black in colour, mainly attacks cherries, particularly sweet cherries. The following aphids are often encountered on stone fruit: There are a few species of aphids which cause the curling of leaves on stone fruit. The aphids pictured here are on a rose flower stem. Aphids come in various colours, and many have their preferred plants which they attack. The majority of aphids observed in the garden are wingless, but some mature aphids can have wings, whereas Immature aphid nymphs look just like adults but are smaller in size and don’t have wings. Aphids vary in colour, they can be green, black, red, yellow, brown or gray, and some are even woolly, their bodies are covered with protective white waxy strands. There are around 5,000 different aphid species, they are pests on a wide range of edible crops and ornamental plants. What are Aphids?Īphids are small sap-sucking pests insects around 2-4 mm (1/16-1/8”) long, with soft, pear-shaped bodies. Tightly curled, yellowing, distorted, and diseased-looking young leaves at the tips of the branches on stone fruit in spring, mainly on cherry and plum trees, is a sign of damage caused by aphids.
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