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The small, bright orange, slug-like larvae inject a toxin into aphids' leg joints to paralyze them and then suck out the aphid body contents through a hole bitten in the thorax. [3] Larvae can consume aphids much larger than themselves and may kill many more aphids than they eat when aphid populations are high. [ 2 ]
Crab spider feeding on a Junonia atlites butterfly in a Zinnia elegans flower. The Thomisidae are a family of spiders, including about 170 genera and over 2,100 species. The common name crab spider is often linked to species in this family, but is also applied loosely to many other families of spiders.
Aphids are repelled by strongly aromatic plants such as lavender, marigolds, garlic and mint. Plant these among your more vulnerable plants. Using trap plants is a different approach.
The aphids tend to concentrate on the growing tips of plants, young leaves, shoots, flowers and developing seed pods. They are often tended by ants which feed on the secretions they produce and deter predators. Natural enemies include parasitic wasps, ladybirds, lacewing larvae and hoverfly larvae. [3]
An aphid infestation can ruin a garden. Learn what causes aphids and how to identify, kill, and control them naturally for healthy plants with no aphid holes.
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Woolly aphids generally are not much cause for alarm, although they can cause rather unsightly damage to plants, which is particularly a problem for growers of ornamental plants. Symptoms caused by their feeding on a plant include twisted and curled leaves, yellowed foliage, poor plant growth, low plant vigor, and branch dieback.
Aphids do best when amino acids are actively translocated in the phloem. In spring, the leaves grow and import amino acids via the phloem; in summer leaves are mature and export mainly sugars. In autumn, the leaves senesce and export amino acids and other nutrients. Thus on trees the leaves are most suitable for aphids in spring and autumn.