larva or eggs ?

[green_grow]

not sure whether these are larva or eggs ... they dont do any damage to the leaves at all, but i cant imagine that they are up to any good in there . anybody know what these are ?

 

[Mrgrowem]

Those look like aphids. They suck jiuces from the plant. Best to kill them before they start making honey dew. You can kill them with a light spray of soap and water mixed OR spray them off with a hand sprayer. They're really weak bugs and almost anything removes them. They huddle under the leaves and hide from the light. They prefer a damp surrounding and perish if the humidity falls to low. Makes me think you may have the plants in a damp area.

Edit: Those are adults and young. Not eggs or larvae.

 

[MynameStitch]

Ya, you got a HUGE infestation on there dude. They look just like a kind of aphid....... they have to be feeding on something in order to live on the plant like that... there any damage on any leaves on the top parts?

 

[green_grow]

mrgrowem and mynamestitch ...
thanks very much for the input. it seems clear to me now that they are adults and young, because some of the larger ones were moving a bit. for the record, my humidity is at 50% with lights on, no idea what it is at with lights out . there was absolutely no damage to that plant, and i harvested it the day that pic was taken, because it was close to harvest anyways and i wanted to stop the spread of this pest to the other plants in the cabinet. however ... the plant next to it, which didnt have ANY aphids on it, had problems of it's own ...



to look at it, you would think it was over/under watered, but i am sure that this was not the case (the soil is wet in the pic because, in a last ditch effort to save it, i cut back the rootball, replanted, then watered the next day) . i THINK the problem was root rot, but i am not sure. at any rate, that plant has now been destroyed . any possible connection between the aphids and the demise of this other plant ?

 

[MynameStitch]

Well bugs living on the plant are feeding off something, if your problem was root rot then it may they were feeding off root material, so I would most likely say there has to be a connection. Bugs don't lay there eggs in area where there young can't feed; so those bugs are eating SOMEthing....... You ever seen any larva come out of the run off?

 

[buzzmobile]

Aphids are very interesting insects when it comes to reproduction. They're born pregnant. They don't need to lay eggs.

I heard aphids are born pregnant. Is this true? If so, how does it work? --Lilian Wentworth, Silver Spring, Maryland

Dear Lilian:

You think your life is miserable, cucumber, just be glad you're not an aphid. Not only are they born pregnant, they're pregnant without benefit of sex. Not that sex with an aphid sounds like much of a treat. Two things are at work here: parthenogenesis and paedogenesis.

Parthenogenesis, also known as virgin birth, is rare in humans (one known case) but common in insects. The baby bugs, all of which are female, develop from single cells in mom's body. The advantage of this is that reproduction is very quick--none of this flowers and perfume jive--which helps when you've got as many natural enemies as aphids have.

Paedogenesis--pregnancy in the young--speeds up the process even more. "Although the young are not born until the aphid has reached the adult stage," it says here, "their development may begin before she is born while she is still in the ducts of the grandparental generation." Aphids can give birth ten days after having been born themselves. The baby showers must be murder.

A large population of aphids can make the plant appear underwatered. They are piercing/sucking type insects and they are heavy feeders on the sap flowing through tender young leaves and stems. Insecticidal soap spray will control them if you make sure to thoroughly cover all leaf surfaces.

 

[green_grow]

thanks again for the input, everyone . i just find it perplexing that the plant that i had to kill was the one with NO aphids on it . will definitely look closer at the run-off from now on and will use the spray if they show up again.