Our yards are a haven for our families and pets as well as a variety of wildlife.  Some of nature’s creatures, likes birds and bees, are welcome visitors. Aphids, however, do not make the list of desirable backyard guests.

Aphids literally suck the life out of the trees and ornamentals in your yard via a food channel in their beaks.  Small populations usually aren’t harmful to plants, and they provide a food supply for many species of birds. 

Large infestations, however, may cause leaf curl, wilting, stunting of shoot growth, and delay in production of flowers and fruit as well as an overall decline in plant health.  Some aphids even aid in the distribution of plant diseases by transferring pathogens in the feeding process. Read more about the life cycle and impact of aphids from the Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Depending on where your trees and shrubs are located, you might end up with telltale “honeydew” on your lawn furniture or back deck.  Unlike the sweet, tasty summer fruit, this honeydew coats objects and quickly becomes covered with brown fungi known as sooty mold.  Unsightly on manmade objects, sooty mold interferes with photosynthesis in leaves, further damaging trees and shrubs.

Aphids life cycle allows significant buildup of populations in relatively short amounts of time.  We’re seeing them earlier than usual in Northern Virginia, which isn’t surprising considering our mild winter.  Aphids overwinter as fertilized eggs, so they’re ready to come out swinging (or in this case, sucking) fresh new shoots and young leaves as soon as the weather allows.

The pictures below are from a ProLawn client who called us on April 8, concerned that these little bugs were going to take over her beautiful plants.  We count on our clients to notify us when they see any issues on their lawn so we can address the issue ASAP! We were able to offer treatment options for the client and halt the infestation successfully with a 100% natural, organic product!

So yes, Aphids are Abounding in April!  Now, what to do about them?  Give the pros at ProLawn a call at 540-662-8316 to discuss treatment today!