Spruce Aphid (Elatobium Abietinum (Walker))
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Spruce Aphid (Elatobium abietinum (Walker)) Spruce aphids are mostly wingless, 1 to 1.5 mm long, olive green to very dark and pear-shaped. The head end can be yellowish green with reddish eyes. Mouthparts are the piercing/sucking type and directed straight downward, as with all aphids. Legs are long and slender. Nymphs are lighter green. Eggs are yellow to reddish to dark brown or black, about 0.6 mm long and can be very difficult to see. * If you were to read the daily planner of a spruce aphid it would look like this: Suck plant juice, squirt honeydew, drop egg, suck plant juice, squirt honeydew, give birth and so on. That’s about all these aphids do and they do it with great proficiency. What makes them a little unusual is when they do it. The spruce aphid is also known as the winter aphid because of its peak growth in numbers during the winter and its vanishing act during the summer. Populations start to build in October through March with peak numbers in late winter and early spring. There are several generations annually. The spruce aphid came from Europe and only females exist in the PNW. They reproduce by means of parthenogenesis, which results in a clone of the female. They don’t need males to reproduce, but cannot evolve without genetic exchange from males. Sitka spruce ( Picea sitchensis ), Norway spruce ( Picea abies ), blue spruce ( Picea pungens ) and other ornamental and commercial spruces are attacked by this pest on the Pacific coast from Alaska to California. They may occur rarely on some other conifers such as pines ( Pinus spp.) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii ). Aphids feed on older needles and do not move to the new growth immediately. During feeding, needles may turn discolored and eventually yellow or brown. Most aphids are found on the lower end of branches in towards the trunk and are usually concentrated low on the tree, but high infestations can occur everywhere. Needles die back and finally drop off the twig. After multiple years of defoliation, the spruce may be threatened. Damage is most noticeable by June, but by then it’s too late to do anything. If you’re worried about your spruce, get a stiff piece of card stock and a hand lens. Brush two branches together over the card stock and look at the residue with the hand lens. Infestations begin in the bottom branches and move upwards. If you see 5 or more per sample and already see damage, get out the hose and spray down the areas with a high-pressured dose of water to knock them onto the ground. If you have a real problem, hose them-down each week starting in October. However, if you see little, fast, brownish alligator like creatures, they are lacewing larvae and will gobble up the aphids, so delay spraying. Unfortunately, the spruce aphid avoids practically every natural enemy. There are few aphid feeders active in the winter. Late season ladybugs and early season brown lacewings might have some impact, but probably not much. Temperature and weather seem to regulate spruce aphids. Temperatures below 15F can be deadly for aphids, especially if prolonged. WSU entomologist, Art Antonelli had identified some resistant spruce species: Serbian spruce ( Picea omorika ), Oriental spruce ( P. orientalis ), and Japanese/tiger tail spruce ( P. polita ), which can live happily in the PNW. Chemical control can be successful in managing the spruce aphid when its populations are particularly abundant. Highly refined horticultural spray is the least toxic, most environmentally sound treatment for controlling spruce aphids. Read the label carefully , especially if you plan on using horticultural oils to control aphids. * Adapted from http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/homehort/pest/spruceaphid.htm: Garden Friends and Foes, Todd Murray Spruce Aphid (Elatobium abietinum (Walker)) .