Published by Utah State University Extension and Utah Plant Pest Diagnostic Laboratory ENT-143-98 October 2010

Apple Aphids
Diane Alston, Entomologist • Michael Reding, Entomologist1 • Marion Murray, IPM Project Leader

Do You Know?
• Aphids are common, secondary pests of apples,
but infestations resulting in economic loss are
uncommon, except for woolly apple aphid.
• Aphids overwinter as eggs on tree limbs, or as
nymphs on roots and/or limbs.
• Application of dormant oil plus an insecticide at
delayed dormant stage (half-inch-green) may
provide season-long control of green and rosy
apple aphids.
• The best timing for woolly apple aphid control is
petal-fall with a systemic insecticide, or during the
summer with an effective contact insecticide.
• Established trees can generally tolerate moderate
Fig. 2. Rosy apple aphids.3
to heavy infestations without loss of production
or vigor; control of aphids on young trees is more roll and curl, protecting the aphids inside from natural
critical. enemies, weather, and pesticides (Fig. 4). Neither species
typically harms established trees, but high populations
can stunt young trees. The woolly apple aphid differs
from the other two, in that it feeds in both the tree
canopy and below ground on the roots. Canopy
feeding is primarily on the succulent growth associated
with stems, pruning wounds, root suckers, and leaf axils.
Damage from woolly apple aphids is caused by aphids
forming galls on roots (Fig. 11) and twigs (Fig. 12). In
addition, all three aphids excrete a clear, sticky, sweet
substance called honeydew. Economic damage may
occur when aphids build up to levels where honeydew
drips onto the fruit. The honeydew provides a site for the
growth of the fungus that causes sooty mold, which can
discolor fruit and cause russeting.

Fig. 1. Green apple aphids (note the black cornicles, or “tail

pipes,” on the abdomen).2

T here are several species of aphids that infest apple

trees in the western United States. Green apple aphid,
rosy apple aphid, and woolly apple aphid are the three
most common species on apples in Utah (Figs. 1, 2, and
3). The green and rosy apple aphids feed primarily on
leaves and prefer the succulent growth of tender shoots.
Their feeding causes leaves of the terminal shoots to
1
USDA ARS, Wooster, OH Fig. 3. Woolly apple aphids.
 Aphids are secondary pests and although their colonies
may be unsightly, their populations frequently do not
build to economically damaging levels. Aphid densities
often increase because of a reduction in their natural
enemies due to toxic insecticide applications. Aphids
have many natural enemies (Fig. 9) such as lady beetles,
lacewings, syrphid flies, predaceous midge larvae, and
predatory bugs, which can often keep aphid populations
under control if they are not disturbed by broad-spectrum
insecticide treatments.

Green Apple Aphid

Aphis pomi

Fig. 5. Green apple aphid eggs on tree limb.

LIFE HISTORY
Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct

Eggs Eggs

Bud Break Nymphs

Winged and Wingless Adults

Fig. 6. Green apple aphid life history.

Fig. 4. Twisted leaves on apple shoot with green apple aphids.2 Egg – Overwintering Stage
• Size and color: 1/50 inch long, shiny, black, and oval
The green apple aphid is the most common aphid pest shaped (Fig. 5).
of apples in Utah. The green-colored young, called
• Where: found on smooth twigs and water sprouts.
nymphs, begin to hatch from overwintered eggs (Fig.
5) as early as silver tip, but populations generally do not • When: eggs are laid in the late summer and fall.
begin to build until late May to early June when shoot • Green apple aphid eggs are difficult to distinguish
leaves are rapidly expanding. During spring and summer, from those of the rosy apple aphid.
females produce live young without mating. Aphids can
complete a life cycle in as short as 1 week during the Nymph – Damaging Stage
warm summer months. The short generation time and • Size, color, and shape: about 1/16 inch long, yellow
ability of these aphids to reproduce asexually allows them green to dark green, oval shaped with black
to rapidly increase their populations and feeding injury to cornicles (tail-pipes).
apple trees (Fig. 6). • Passes through five instars.
• Where: generally found on young shoots and
HOSTS watersprouts, primarily on the underside of leaves.
• When: from about budbreak through early October.
apple and pear
Adult – Damaging Stage
Wingless
• Size, color, and shape: about 1/8 inch long, bright
green with black cornicles (tail-pipes) and legs, oval
shaped (Fig. 1).

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 • Where: generally found on succulent shoots and
watersprouts, primarily on the underside of leaves.
• When: from about budbreak through early October.
• Those that hatch from overwintering eggs are all
females and begin producing winged and wingless
forms to start colonies.
Winged
• This is the dispersal form and allows aphids to spread
to other sites.
• Size, color, and shape: about 1/8 inch long, black
head and thorax with a yellow-green abdomen,
clear wings; body is narrower than wingless forms.
• When: during the same time as wingless forms, but
may be more common early in the season.
• Where: generally found on succulent shoots and
Fig. 7. Apple fruit distortion caused by rosy apple aphid
watersprouts, primarily on the underside of leaves.
feeding.2
• Through most of the season only female aphids are
produced. These aphids give birth to live young HOSTS
and do not lay eggs. During late summer, male and
apple (winter and spring), plantain (summer), and dock
female sexual forms are produced. These sexual
(summer)
forms mate and produce the overwintering eggs.

HOST INJURY LIFE HISTORY

Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
• Generally, the visual appearance of apple aphids in
trees is much worse than the injury caused by their Eggs Eggs
feeding.
• Apple aphids prefer feeding on succulent tissue Nymphs
where they suck sap from the phloem. Tree fruit hosts Non-tree fruit hosts

• This feeding results in leaf curling and sometimes

Bud Break

shoot curling (Fig. 4). Winged and Wingless Adults

• Feeding by aphids does not harm established trees, Tree fruit hosts Non-tree fruit hosts

but can stunt young trees.

• Honeydew produced by the aphids may drip onto Fig. 8. Rosy apple aphid life history.
fruit, which causes discoloration and provides a site
for the growth of blackish-gray sooty mold.
Egg – Overwintering Stage
• Size and color: 1/50 inch long, shiny, black, and oval
Rosy Apple Aphid shaped.
Dysaphis plantaginea • Where: found on smooth twigs and water sprouts.
This aphid is easily distinguishable from the green apple • When: eggs are laid in the late summer and fall.
aphid by its rose-colored body (Fig. 2). Rosy apple aphids
• Difficult to distinguish from the eggs of the green
generally increase their populations during the spring,
apple aphid.
which is earlier in the season than green apple aphids.
Their feeding causes leaves to curl and deforms shoots. Nymph – Damaging Stage
When feeding occurs in fruit clusters, the toxic saliva, • Size, color, and shape: about 1/16 inch long, rosy
which is injected into the tree during feeding, stunts and brown or purple with a dusty-white covering.
distorts fruit growth (Fig. 7). These aphids migrate from • Has long, rosy-colored cornicles (tail-pipes).
apple trees to weed hosts in late June to early July (Fig.
8); therefore, controls for this species are not necessary in • Passes through five instars.
orchards during summer. • Where: generally found on succulent shoots,
watersprouts, and developing fruit clusters, primarily
on the underside of leaves.
• When: from about budbreak through late June.

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 Adult – Damaging Stage generally provides optimum control of rosy apple aphids
Wingless and additional treatments may not be needed. Clues
that may indicate aphid control is necessary are high
• Size, color, and shape: about 1/8 inch long, rosy to aphid populations the previous season and the presence
purple with a dusty-white covering, oval shaped (Fig. of overwintered eggs on young apple limbs and twigs.
2). Black aphid eggs (Fig. 5) can be observed during tree
• Where: generally found on succulent shoots and pruning and other spring activities.
watersprouts, primarily on the underside of leaves. Green apple aphids are more likely to become a
• When: early bloom through late June. problem later in the season than rosy apple aphids. If
green apple aphid populations begin to increase,
• Those that hatch from overwintering eggs are all
monitoring should be conducted to determine if
females and give birth to live young.
treatment is necessary. Many factors can influence the
• Several generations are produced in spring and early amount of potential damage, such as tree structure and
summer. age, time of year, and apple variety.
• Each succeeding generation has a higher
Summer Treatment Thresholds
percentage of winged forms.
Green Apple Aphid
Winged
There are two basic methods which are commonly used
• This is the dispersal form and allows aphids to migrate
for determining the need for treatment against green
to summer weed hosts and back to apple orchards in
apple aphids in established trees during summer and
the late summer to early fall.
early fall.
• Size, color, and shape: about 1/8 inch long, brownish
1) Randomly choose 10 shoots from each of 10
green to black and more elongate than wingless
different trees and treat when 75% of the terminals
forms.
are infested.
• When: most common from early June through early
2) Randomly choose 10 shoots from each of 10
July.
different trees and treat when an average of three
• Where: generally found on succulent shoots and leaves per shoot are infested.
watersprouts, primarily on the underside of leaves.
Time of year and prevalence of natural enemies should
• In early fall, winged adults migrate from weed hosts also be considered when making a control decision. If
back to apple. These adults give birth to sexual it is mid- to late summer and natural enemy populations
females. Males also develop at this time. They mate are building, then aphid controls are probably not
with the females, which lay overwintering eggs. economically justified.

HOST INJURY MANAGEMENT

• Feeding by rosy apple aphids causes leaves to curl
and deforms shoots. Green Apple Aphid and Rosy Apple Aphid
• When feeding occurs in fruiting clusters, toxic saliva Delayed-dormant sprays are the first step in controlling
stunts and distorts fruit growth (Fig. 7). green and rosy apple aphids (see “Timing Control”
above). If during or following the flush of spring growth,
• Root growth and photosynthesis may also be aphid populations build or remain high, then additional
reduced. controls may be necessary. However, established trees
• Damage is most severe on young trees. can tolerate fairly high aphid populations without loss of
production or vigor (see “Summer Treatment Thresholds”
• Rosy apple aphids produce copious honeydew
above). Rosy apple aphids move from apple to their
which may drip onto fruit. Honeydew on fruit may
summer weed hosts by late spring to early summer, so
cause russeting and provides a site for the growth of
controls for this aphid are unnecessary if populations in
the blackish-gray fungus that causes sooty mold.
apple are already on a decline. Treatment thresholds for
green apple aphid described above should be used to
TIMING CONTROL determine if this aphid is approaching levels of economic
concern. However, in a young apple orchard, spring
and/or summer aphid controls may be necessary to
Green Apple Aphid and Rosy Apple Aphid
prevent stunting of tree growth.
Delayed-Dormant
Aphids prefer feeding on succulent shoots and their
One of the most opportune times to control both aphid
populations are more likely to build when there is
species is at delayed-dormant (bud break up to half-
abundant succulent tissue present in the orchard.
inch-green). Horticultural oil plus an insecticide will kill
Pruning and fertilization practices that minimize growth
most of the eggs and hatching nymphs. This treatment
of water-sprouts and lush shoot growth should be used

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 to help manage aphids. Vigorous apple varieties that Insecticides
produce lush growth may be more prone to large
Insecticides can be very effective against aphids;
populations of aphids. In most years, succulent shoots
however, repeated use of the same products has resulted
begin to harden off at the time when aphid populations
in aphid resistance. Good coverage is important.
begin to increase. This will slow down the rate at which
Aphid feeding causes leaves to curl and within these
the aphid populations increase and may be sufficient to
curled leaves the aphids are partially protected from
prevent damaging population levels from developing.
insecticides. The available materials which are effective
Biological Control are limited and some are very toxic to natural enemies.
The limited variety of materials increases the possibility
Aphids have many natural enemies including lady of aphid resistance. For these reasons, insecticide use
beetles (adults and larvae), lacewing larvae, syrphid fly should be limited.
larvae, predaceous midge larvae, and predatory bugs
such as pirate bugs, damsel bugs, and campylomma Recommended Chemicals:
(Fig. 9). • acetamiprid (Assail)
The natural enemy complex often changes as the season • azadirachtin (Ecozin, Aza-Direct)O
progresses because some predators are more common
• chlorpyrifos (LorsbanR) – apply with oil at delayed
early and some are more common later in the season.
dormant timing only
Also some are more tolerant of insecticides than others.
Biological control can be disrupted by insecticides • clothianidin (Belay, Clutch)
applied against other pests. When possible, use softer • diazinon (DiazinonR)
pesticides, because these materials are less likely to
• flonicamid (Beleaf)
disrupt predator populations. Predator complexes are
generally more diverse in sites where fewer insecticides • horticultural oilO
are applied. • imidacloprid (Admire Pro, Provado)
Scout for the presence of predators when assessing aphid • insecticidal soap (M-Pede)O
densities in orchards. If natural enemies are present in
the aphid colonies, re-sample in a week or so to see if the • peppermint oil, rosemary oil (Ecotec)O
predators are providing control. Incidences of complete • pyridaben (Pyramite) – after petal fall only,
summer aphid control by natural enemies are common suppressive
in Utah. Remember that established apple trees can
• pyriproxyfen (Distance)
tolerate moderate to large aphid populations, so give the
natural enemies a chance to reduce aphid numbers and • spirotetramat (Movento) – works best when applied
spray only as a last resort. at petal fall
• thiacloprid (Calypso)
• thiamethoxam (Actara, Flagship)
Restricted use
R

O
Organic formulations available
NOTE: Check preharvest interval and registered crops before
using any of these chemicals. All brand names are registered
trademarks. Examples of brands may not be all-inclusive, but are
meant to provide examples of effective products registered in
Utah.

Woolly Apple Aphid

Eriosoma lanigerum
The woolly apple aphid is native to North America. This
aphid can be found in all apple growing areas in the
United States and Canada. Several generations occur
each year. The nymphs are produced asexually by
mother aphids. Small colonies of nymphs may survive
the winter on limbs, but most overwinter on roots and
move onto limbs in June. Adults and immatures are
reddish-purple in color with a white, waxy covering. From
a distance, a colony of woolly apple aphids appears as
mass of cotton on the tree (Fig. 3). This cottony mass is
Fig. 9. Common predators of apple aphids, clockwise from top-
a result of long, white, filamentous, waxy secretions from
left: ladybeetle adult and larva, lacewing adult and larva4, and
the back of the adult aphids. This waxy mass protects
syrphid fly adult and larva5.

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 the woolly aphid from insecticides, weather, and natural • Several generations of WAA occur during the
enemies. Without chemical or natural controls, woolly summer.
apple aphids can increase to high numbers in apple • Winged adults are formed during mid to late summer.
orchards. These winged adults disperse to new host trees.

HOST
apple

LIFE HISTORY
Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct

Nymphs
on apple roots and limbs
Bud Break

Winged and Wingless Adults

on apple limbs

Fig. 11. Woolly apple aphid induced galls on roots.

Fig. 10. Woolly apple aphid life history.

Woolly apple aphids (WAA) overwinter as nymphs on

galls formed on apple tree roots (Fig. 10). During mild
winters, some WAA may survive the winter in protected
locations on above ground branches and stems.

Nymph – Overwintering and Damaging

Stage
• Size, color, and shape: size about 1/20 inch long,
reddish to purple in color and covered with a white
cottony wax.
• They pass through four instars.
• Where: 1st instar nymphs are considered the dispersal
stage as they are the most active.
• This stage can migrate to tree limbs or roots to form
Fig. 12. Galls on twigs caused by woolly apple aphid feeding.
colonies. When the nymph finds a suitable spot to
feed, it settles down and begins a new colony.
• When: aphids which overwintered on the roots begin HOST INJURY
dispersing to tree limbs in June. Dispersal to the roots
can take place anytime during the summer or fall. WAA feeding on roots causes gall formation (Fig. 11).
The galls increase in size over time as aphid feeding
• In large colonies, the nymphs are found beneath the
continues. The galls inhibit root function and under
adult females.
severe infestations can stunt or weaken the tree. Severe
Adults – Overwintering and Damaging root infestations can kill young trees. Heavy infestation
Stage on aerial portions of the tree can cause twig galls (Fig.
• Size, color, and shape: adults are approximately 1/16 12) and leaf yellowing. Canopy infestations can lead
inch in length and reddish-purple and covered with to honeydew deposits on fruit causing the growth of
a white cottony wax (Fig. 3). the fungus that causes sooty mold, and subsequent
downgrading of fruit. Ruptured WAA stem galls can serve
• Adults observed on apple trees are females, males as infection sites for spores of Cryptosporiopsis perennans,
are rare. the fungus that causes perennial canker on apple. This
• Females produce live young without mating. disease is rare in Utah. WAA colonies can also serve as
a nuisance to pickers, as the crushed aphid bodies stain
• Egg production is rare, and is associated with their
skin and clothing.
alternate host, the American elm. Eggs may not
occur in western North America.

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 TIMING CONTROL Cultural Controls
If replanting or starting a new orchard, plant resistant
Watch root suckers and pruning wounds in the lower
rootstock. The Malling-Merton (MM) rootstock series,
part of the tree canopy for the cottony colonies starting
MM.106 and MM.111, have been bred to be resistant to
in early to mid summer. Treatment thresholds have not
WAA.
been developed.
A systemic insecticide can be applied preventively at
Insecticides
petal fall if a large population occurred in the previous To increase insecticide efficacy, it is recommended that
year, or others can be applied if limb colonies begin to a horticultural oil or other effective spreader-sticker be
increase in the summer. added to the tank mix to penetrate the waxy aphid
covering. Refer to the insecticide label for adjuvant
recommendations. Thoroughly cover the tree with the
MANAGEMENT spray solution.
Recommended Chemicals:
Biological Control
• carbaryl (Sevin)
In organic orchards, and those managed with minimal
use of broad-spectrum insecticides, WAA populations • diazinon (DiazinonR)
are controlled by a number of natural enemies. The most • endosulfan (ThionexR – 21 day PH1, 4 day REI)
important natural enemies are general predators such
• horticultural oilO – suppressive only; mix with other
as green lacewing larvae, lady beetle adults and larvae,
insecticides to aid spray in penetrating waxy
and syrphid fly larvae (Fig. 9). Flowering plants in or on
covering on aphids
the borders of orchards provide nectar and pollen, which
helps maintain and attract natural enemies. Recent • spirotetramat (Movento) –­systemic, apply at petal-
research in Washington state has shown that plantings fall for adequate uptake and translocation
of alyssum within or near apple orchards can attract R
Restricted use
natural enemies of WAA. In some apple growing areas, a O
Organic
small parasitic wasp, Aphelinus mali (Eulophidae) attacks
WAA. In those orchards which have low to moderate NOTE: Check preharvest interval and registered crops before
populations of WAA, A. mali can provide good control. using any of these chemicals. All brands are registered
trademarks. Examples of brands may not be all-inclusive, but are
The use of broad-spectrum insecticides eliminates meant to provide examples of effective products registered in
beneficial parasitic wasps from the orchard. Utah.

Images courtesy of:

2
Oregon State University
3
Michigan State University
4
University of Florida
5
University of California
Precautionary Statement: Utah State University Extension and its employees are not responsible for the use, misuse, or damage caused by application or misapplication of products or
information mentioned in this document. All pesticides are labeled with active ingredients, directions for use, and hazards, and not all are registered for edible crops. “Restricted use”
pesticides may only be applied by a licensed applicator. The pesticide applicator is legally responsible for proper use. USU makes no endorsement of the products listed herein.

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Noelle E. Cockett, Vice President for Extension and Agriculture, Utah State University.

Fact Sheet Series: Insects - Tree Fruit

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