Powdery pine needle aphid

Eulachnus agilis

42 host plants

Last updated

Watch for yellow or white discoloration on pine needles in winter and early spring, especially on lodgepole pine and ponderosa pine. The small olive-gray aphids with relatively long legs and antennae feed on needle surfaces, and their honeydew encourages thick black sooty mold growth that coats foliage. Heavy infestation can cause needle drop, stunted branch growth, and premature branch death.

Cold-weather populations increase as natural enemies become less active. Spray with horticultural oil in winter to smother aphids and reduce sooty mold. Improve tree health through proper watering and avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer. In warmer months, parasitic wasps and predators often provide natural suppression.

Quick Reference

Order
Hemiptera
Type
sucking-insect
Host Plants
42
Damage Severity
growth-reducing
What Damage Looks Like

All these aphids are light green in color. Spirea aphid is very difficult to separate from apple aphid without high magnification, whereas apple grain aphid can be distinguished by a yellowish green stripe down the middle of the back. Apple grain aphids infest pear only in the early part of the season, while apple aphid is present all summer. Aphids suck plant sap and live in colonies on new shoots. Populations are damaging only sporadically. Damage appears as rolled leaves, stunted terminal...

Cultural Controls

  • biological control Many parasites and predators attack aphid.
  • Monitor the proportion of aphid mummies to unparasitized adults and the number of predators such as lady beetles.
  • If the biocontrol agents appear to be gaining control, avoid sprays which would disrupt this system.
  • Most products available for aphid control are highly disruptive of natural enemies.
  • Management-cultural control Aphid populations tend to be higher in plants that are fertilized liberally with nitrogen.
  • Prune out suckers...

Host Plants (42)

Pinus albicaulis Whitebark Pine, Scrub Pine, White Pine Pinus aristata Bristlecone Pine, Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Interior Bristlecone Pinus attenuata Knobcone Pine Pinus banksiana Jack Pine, Scrub Pine, Banksian Pine, Hudson Bay Pine Pinus bungeana Lacebark Pine, Whitebark Pine, Baipi Song Pinus canariensis Canary Island Pine Pinus cembra Swiss Stone Pine Pinus contorta Lodgepole Pine Pinus contorta var. contorta Shore Pine Pinus contorta var. latifolia Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Pinus coulteri Coulter Pine, Bigcone Pine Pinus densiflora Japanese Red Pine Pinus edulis Pinyon Pine, Piñón Pine, Two-needle Pinyon Colorado Pinyon Pinus elliottii Slash Pine, Swamp Pine Pinus flexilis Limber Pine, Rocky Mountain White Pine Pinus halepensis Aleppo Pine, Jerusalem Pine Pinus heldreichii Bosnian Pine, Snakeskin Pine Pinus jeffreyi Jeffrey Pine, Western Yellow Pine, Bull Pine Pinus kwangtungensis Kwangtung Pine, Guangdong Pine Pinus lambertiana Sugar Pine Pinus leucodermis Bosnian Pine Pinus monophylla Singleleaf Pinon Pine, One-leaved Pine Pinus monticola Western White Pine Pinus mugo Mugo Pine Pinus mugo var. pumilio Mugo pine, Dwarf Mugo pine Pinus nigra Austrian Pine Pinus parviflora Japanese White Pine Pinus parvifola Pinus parvifola Pinus pinaster Maritime Pine, Cluster Pine, Turpentine Pine Pinus pinea Italian Stone Pine, Umbrella Pine Pinus ponderosa Ponderosa Pine, Western Yellow Pine Pinus pumila Japanese Stone Pine, Dwarf Siberian Pine Pinus radiata Monterey Pine Pinus resinosa Red Pine Pinus sabiniana Gray Pine, Foothill Pine Pinus strobiformis Southwestern White Pine, Mexican White Pine, Chihuahua White Pine Pinus strobus Eastern White Pine Pinus sylvestris Scots Pine, Scotch Pine Pinus thunbergii Japanese Black Pine Pinus virginiana Virginia Pine, Scrub Pine, Jersey Pine Pinus wallichiana Himalayan Pine, Bhutan Pine Pinus yunnanensis Yunnan Pine
Data Maturity
Baseline Extension data. Expert review underway.