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It’s aphid season in the West Texas, which is why some cars are covered in a sticky, sap-like substance — the excretions of the tiny insects after they chow down on pecan tree leaves overhead.
The hot, dry weather, combined with rainfall in the area about a month ago, caused aphid populations to “explode,” said Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension Agent Scott Anderson.
“We see it nearly every year in pecan trees just about this time,” Anderson said. “That rainfall (in June), that just triggered another round of them.”
The aphids, also known as plant lice, commonly seen are lime green in color and about 1/16th of an inch in length. They may be winged or wingless. The insects, which can be destructive to vegetable gardens, have a special affinity for pecan leaves. Anderson said the substance they excrete is called “honeydew.”
County Extension Agent said his office has received several calls regarding the honeydew on vehicles, along with damaged fruit and vegetable plants.
“The threshold of damage is going to be different among different plants, but we do deal with them, definitely,” Pritz said.
Parasitic wasps and lady beetles (also known as ladybugs) are natural predators of aphids, though the aphid population has grown to a point that natural predators are unable to keep them in line.
The wasps and ladybugs have to be unleashed on the aphid population at the onset of summer to have a significant impact on the pesky bugs. Insecticides are also an option, but gardeners should be careful about which insecticides they spray on certain fruits and vegetables, Like their organic counterparts, poisons are also more effective when used at the beginning of the summer season.
