Green Peach Aphid
Myzus persicae
Overview
The Green Peach Aphid (Myzus persica), also called the Peach Potato Aphid, is an important pest of stone fruits, capsicum, eggplant, potato, brassicas and many other vegetable, flower, and ornamental crops, including medicinal cannabis.
The adult Green Peach Aphid measures 1.2 to 2.3 mm long. Wingless specimens are commonly smaller than winged forms. They are light yellow to green, grey-green, pink or red coloured. Winged specimens have a black spot in the middle of their abdomens. The nymphs, from which winged adults develop, are mostly orange or pink.
A mixture of winged and wingless individuals is produced on summer host plants. The winged females move within the crop and among several other crops, where they produce new colonies and spread viruses.
Why you need to control Green Peach Aphid
The Green Peach Aphid is the most important aphid carrier of virus diseases. This species can transmit at least 100 viruses, which makes it a much-feared insect, particularly for potato and sugar beet growers.
The Green Peach Aphid will damage your crops in the same way as other aphids: by sucking plant sap, secreting honeydew and injecting toxic substances. Sooty mould fungi grow on the sticky honeydew secretions, giving the affected leaves and fruit a black appearance. The sooty mould is difficult to remove, making parts of the crops unsaleable.
Beneficial predators to control Green Peach Aphid among crops
Biological Services has products to control Green Peach Aphid in your crops, such as Aphidius colemani (Colemani), Aphidius ervi (Ervi), Aphelinus abdominalis (Aphelinus), Diaeretiella rapae (Diaretiella), Ladybirds and Green Lacewings, and can advise you on their use.
You can also use yellow sticky traps and rolls for monitoring or mass-trapping of winged Green Peach Aphids.
Get tailored advice for your commercial crop
To speak with one of our qualified consultants about your current commercial crop challenge or to learn about the benefits of the IPM maintenance and monitoring services we provide, contact us.
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