What Homeowners Need to Know About White Fluffy Aphids
Is that snow? It can’t be; we’re in Alabama, and it’s April. So, what’s that white stuff all over my car, driveway, and outdoor plants?
If you’re asking the above questions, you’re likely dealing with some white fluffy aphids! Today, our Southeastern pest pros from Vulcan Termite & Pest Control Inc. are here to tell you how to identify these fuzzy little bugs, understand the damage they cause, and get rid of them.
What Are These White Fluffy Aphids?
Eriosoma lanigerum, best known as “Woolly Aphid,” is a type of insect in the aphid family that is most active during peak periods of plant growth, which is from late spring to mid-fall. Although the white fluff is what makes people notice them and gives them their name, these aphids’ bodies are usually dark blue, green, or black, measuring 1 to 7 millimeters, and they have iridescent wings; this appearance is much like that of other aphids.
So, the iconic white fluff isn’t part of their bodies; it’s a waxy, woolly substance that their bodies produce as a protective coating.
Why Are Woolly Aphids a Pest?
These white fluffy aphids are harmless to people, and even kinda cute, like the banded woolly bear caterpillar. So why are they a problem?
It’s because they’re merciless plant killers!
Sap Sucking, Honeydew, and Sooty Mold: The Aphid-Induced Plant Destruction Cycle
Plants produce and store sap to fully develop, grow, and thrive; it is nutrient-dense for them. Aphids’ primary food source is plant sap. So to eat, they drain young, healthy plants of it. That drainage alone is enough to kill a lot of plants and damage others, but the cycle only gets more destructive from here.
When aphids’ bodies don’t use all the sap, they excrete what’s left over back onto those plants as a sticky, sugary substance called “honeydew.” This shiny aphid poop on the surface of leaves is the root (no pun intended) of more problems for plants:
- Blocks the already-weakened-by-sap-sucking plants’ leaves’ stomata (pores for CO2 intake, O2 release), preventing proper gas exchange.
- Attracts ants, which will often eat the bugs that are usually aphid predators, guarding them and enabling their plant-killing behaviors to continue.
- Causes sooty mold to grow in layers on the leaves, blocking their exposure to light, preventing photosynthesis, and further depriving them of the resources they need to survive.
Woolly Aphids have all of these behaviors and could kill a lot of smaller plants, but they’re not able to destroy trees, which is where you’ll usually find them. They’re more often seen spreading sap-sucking damage, honeydew, sooty mold, and other fungal infections that harm or kill only part of the tree.
Woolly Aphids Are a Mess
Apart from sharing the toxic traits of other aphids, Woolly Aphids make a sticky, fuzzy mess wherever they go. If you park under a tree with Woolly Aphids, your windows and paint will be coated in their sticky wool (and you gotta go through a car wash ASAP). Have outdoor furniture under a Woolly-full tree? You’ll be scrubbing it off for a while.
How to Deal with Woolly Aphids + Save Your Plants
Skip the Chemical Control Methods
The protective waxy coating on woolly aphids shields them from traditional chemical pest control methods, making them difficult to manage. So, don’t get out the sprays, or you’ll risk damaging trees, plants, and potentially some beneficial and native insects that are nearby—for no good reason.
A good way to get rid of woolly aphids is to use a hose to spray them off your plant, brush off any remaining ones you see, squish them, and repeat. If it becomes an infestation on your property that’s so bad that the simple trick above won’t work, you will need to get a lawn inspection from a pest control expert to determine the best solutions for your individual situation that won’t harm more plants and wildlife (that’s one of our specialties at Vulcan Termite!).
Stay Proactive with Plant Damage Control
If woolly aphids take over most of your plant, but some parts are still okay, you can try to save it. First, isolate your affected plant, if possible, from areas of your property populated by woolly aphids. Next, prune off any leaves, stems, or other parts of the plant that have already been affected and throw them out far away from the healthy parts left behind. Finally, establish a consistent routine to replenish the plant’s lost nutrients from sap-sucking aphids by applying a good fertilizer and watering it well.
Thanks for reading today’s edition of our weekly Pest Blog!
Got a problem with aphids in your veggie garden or other bugs harming other precious plants on your property? Vulcan Termite and Pest Control Inc. is here to help! We have 60+ years of experience as Birmingham’s trusted providers of pest management solutions that really work—without ever compromising the safety of your family, pets, prized outdoor plants, or property.
Call (205) 663-4200 or contact us online today, and we’ll gladly perform a FREE inspection and create and implement an effective, custom strategy using our tried-and-true methods, so you and your family can enjoy a pest-free lawn.