{"id":1321,"date":"2017-07-10T13:36:44","date_gmt":"2017-07-10T13:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/agrilife.org\/sca\/?page_id=1321"},"modified":"2017-10-11T16:01:07","modified_gmt":"2017-10-11T16:01:07","slug":"sugarcane-aphid-tool","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/agrilife.org\/sca\/sugarcane-aphid-tool\/","title":{"rendered":"Sugarcane Aphid"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to the responses you entered, this is likely the pest you are dealing with. To confirm this, use the positive identification section.<\/p>\n

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A sugarcane aphid walking across a piece of paper. This medium was chosen to show the dark tipped parts that are used for identification of this pest. Photo by Jason Thomas.<\/p><\/div>\n

Scientific Name<\/h2>\n

Melanaphis sacchari<\/em><\/p>\n

Biology<\/h2>\n

Sugarcane aphids tend to overwinter in johnson grass. Once temperatures rise, winged aphids fly to colonize sorghum. Once on a suitable host, the sugarcane aphid can reproduce asexually at a rapid rate. They feed on the plant fluids from the underside of the leaf. They tend to colonize the upper leaves first and then work their way down the plant. Sugarcane aphids in high populations can produce large amounts of honeydew which may attract sooty black mold and lower yield.<\/p>\n

Positive Identification<\/h2>\n
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Sugarcane aphid body color spectrum.<\/p><\/div>\n

The general body color of aphids as shown above can vary, but during growing seasons they are typically on the right half of the spectrum. The best way to confirm identification is look for black tipped antennae, feet and cornicles.<\/p>\n