Aphid eating

It has been a summer of aphids, with lots of lush growth lasting well into the season. Aphids love soft, rapidly growing tissue, and their populations can explode when they are given what they want! Aphids give birth to live young, can reach maturity in less than a week, and can reproduce without mating, so they can seem unstoppable.
But! Aphids are the favored food of many, many beneficial insects. Have you noticed any of these feasting? Sit down next to an aphid colony for a few minutes and see who you can all find.


© theobroma85, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Lady beetles making more lady beetles - see the eggs in the lower right?


© prairiegirlgonecoastal, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Look at the jaws on this lacewing larva - just right for grabbing aphids.


© Bonnie Zand, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Here is a tunnel in a mason bee house stocked with aphids. It is being used by an aphid hunting wasp as a larder for her babies.


© Bonnie Zand, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
And here is the tiny mother wasp, busy hunting for aphids.


© Bonnie Zand, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
This baby can find its own aphids - its a larval hover fly.

There are lots more aphid eaters out there - what can you find? Share it with us!

Posted on August 8, 2022 10:25 PM by bzand bzand

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