Photography: Pests!

by Tony Hicks


Today, I took a photo of these little pests on the fir tree in the quad.  



Aphids - from the genus Cinara - which feed on the sap of the tree.  They are host-plant specific and 
tend to form colonies on individual trees. They secrete honeydew, which is eaten by ants.




The Cinara aphids are also called "Cinara conifer aphids" because they attack a wide variety of conifers (pines, spruces, firs, etc.) and are typically species-specific; i.e., a particular species of Cinara aphid will attack a particular species of conifer. They only leave when the tree leaves. 


Comments