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Joseph F. Boggs, Ohio State University Extension, Hamilton County/Southwest District; Curtis E. Young, David J. Shetlar, James A. Chatfield, Erik A. Draper, Pamela J. Bennett, Gary Y. Gao, |
New and Unusual
In mid-August, soybean aphids (Aphis glycines), a relatively new pest of soybeans in Ohio, began to cause problems in urban areas. As populations of the aphid matured and soybeans declined, winged adults were produced for migration to search for new food sources or overwintering sites. The winged adults were caught on air currents and carried to villages, towns, and cities. In Toronto, Canada, a major league baseball game was delayed while they closed the roof on Toronto's SkyDome to try (unsuccessfully) to exclude the aphids from the playing field.
Residents of Cleveland and other northern Ohio cities also experienced similar invasions of the aphid. So many aphids filled the air in some residential areas that people had difficulty moving outdoors without breathing aphids, eating aphids, and getting aphids in their eyes and hair. Although a nuisance pest, the aphids were probably welcomed treats for a number of predators, including lady beetles. Indeed, it was speculated that the huge numbers of this aphid may have played a role in encouraging the burgeoning numbers of multicolored Asian lady beetles observed this past season.
The soybean aphid is an exotic species from Asia. It is a small, yellow aphid with distinct black cornicles (tail pipes out of the back of the abdomen). The soybean aphid has a complex life cycle with as many as 15 to 18 generations each year. Two very different types of host plants are required for the soybean aphid to complete its life cycle. The aphid spends the growing season feeding and reproducing on soybeans; then it overwinters as an egg on buckthorn (Rhamnus ssp.) plants.