Got a plant?

There’s probably an aphid for that.

They’re a nightmare for anyone growing veggies.

There are thousands of types,  with all kinds of looks.

And they seem to pop up overnight.

Before you know it they’re everywhere.

Ugh!

They pierce leaves and stems with  their stylet, and suck out sugary sap,   leaving the plant yellow and wilted.

While they’re not particularly fast or well  armored … aphids are highly skilled at one thing.

Making babies.

Most of the time they give birth to  live young instead of laying eggs.

That’s different from most other insects.

Aw.

She’s got her mother’s eyes.

An aphid mom can push out five or  six nymphs a day, sometimes more.

And she doesn’t need to find a mate to do it.

Most of the time, aphids just clone themselves.

You can see the eyes of her  clones growing inside her.

And here’s the really wild part… Her babies are born already pregnant.

In a week or two, they’ll start  giving birth to clones of their own.

That’s why it only takes a single aphid  to infest your greenhouse or garden.

When the buffet starts getting crowded and  it looks like their food might run out,   aphids switch gears.

They produce a different kind of clone.

See those light gray shoulder  pads on the one on the right?

They unfurl into wings.

Yup, winged clones called alates.

They look different, but they’re still  genetically identical to their mothers.

When they’re ready, the alates take to the  air to search out new plants to colonize.

A gathering this big attracts  some hungry party-crashers.

Like this ladybug.

So some aphids strike a deal … with ants.

The ants treat aphids like dairy cows, looking  after them and guarding them from predators.

When these ranchers are thirsty, they  tap on the aphids with their antennae.

But instead of milk, these ant ranchers are  looking for a tall drink of sweet aphid honeydew.

That’s the sugary waste that comes  out of an aphid’s uh, backside.

So is there anything that can stop these  aggravating … endlessly self-replicating pests?

Some growers use oils or insecticides.

Others sic predators  on them, like lacewing larvae.

Or even unleash parasites like these wasps.

The female wasp uses her sharp ovipositor,  to inject an egg into the slow-moving aphids.

When the wasp egg inside hatches, the larva   eats and eats, hollowing out its host  and turning it into a little mummy.

When it’s ready, the adult wasp chews  its way out to start the cycle again.

These tiny mummies are a gruesome sight.

But they’re one that let gardeners  breathe a sigh of relief.