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Rose aphids on a plant stem

Aphids

Aphids are the bane of gardeners and farmers alike. Settling in vast numbers on the soft green plant tissue, sucking the sap, and life, out of the plant. If that wasn't bad enough they are also major carriers of plant viruses. However, they are not all bad as many species of ant 'milk' them like cows for their honeydew. Aphids are a large family of small insects, containing many thousands of species. Some particularly infamous ones are the black bean aphid, rose aphid and the green peach aphid. Luckily help is in hand in the form of beetles who love to feast on this bounty.

Scientific name: Aphididae

Rank: Family

Common names:

  • Blackfly,
  • Greenfly,
  • Plant lice

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Distribution

The Aphids can be found in a number of locations including: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Indian subcontinent, North America, South America, United Kingdom, Wales. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.

When they lived

Discover the other animals and plants that lived during the following geological time periods.

About

Aphididae is a very large insect family in the aphid superfamily (Aphidoidea), of the order Hemiptera. There are several thousand species in this family, many of which are well known for being serious plant pests. They are also the family of insects containing most plant virus vectors (around 200 known) with the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) being one of the most prevalent and indiscriminate carriers.

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