Effects of the Potato Aphid

The potato aphid is a small insect around 3mm long, and is found all over North America. It is often considered a pest, as it can cause damage to plants.

Potato aphid control

Lady bugs or lady beetles, feed on potato aphids, and are therefore an excellent method to control aphids. Stilt bugs feed on aphids as well. Also, there are several insecticides available for aphid control if a more natural method does not work or is not available. Chemical control is not generally needed, as potato aphid infestations are not usually large enough to warrant chemical control. Chemicals are only recommended if over half of the plant's leaves are affected by the potato aphids.

Damage caused by potato aphids

Potato aphids feed on the plants that you so painstakingly plant and care for. They do not just feed on potato plants, but also love eating tomato plants, lettuce, pepper plants, eggplants and spinach, among several other plants. A small number of potato aphids is generally harmless, but large numbers can negatively affect your plants. They have the potential to spread disease, although the possibility of that happening is quite low. If there is a large population of potato aphids among your plants, the toxic substance they secrete can cause leaves to wilt or even die. These aphids feed on blossoms, and if they destroy blossoms, the plant yields fewer fruits or vegetables.

Potato aphids are usually quite harmless, but a large population of them negatively affect your plants. Keeping the population under control is important to the survival of your plants.