Aphids on melon plants
This is the aphid named after the melon. In California's San Joaquin Valley UC IPM sees it late in the season, September–October, and hot weather does not knock it back. It curls leaves, drops honeydew and sooty mould onto the fruit, and spreads cucumber mosaic, watermelon mosaic and zucchini yellow mosaic viruses. Lady beetles, lacewings, syrphid larvae and parasitic wasps suppress the aphid, but UC IPM warns they do not cut virus spread — reflective mulch on young plants does more, and row covers where they suit (UC IPM does not recommend them in the San Joaquin Valley).
At a glance
- Damage
- Curled, puckered leaves, heavy honeydew, cucurbit viruses
- Type
- Sap feeding · virus vector
- Settings
- Under glass, Field, Garden, Indoors
- Threshold
- None established (UC IPM)
- Ally
- Syrphidae
- Rate
- Wild — attract adults with open flowers
How to confirm it
Under a 10× lens the front of the head is flat, with no bumps between the antennae, and the cornicles are short and entirely black. Colonies sit mostly on leaf undersides throughout the plant, not only at the tips; green peach aphid has a notched head and gathers at growing points.
Identification, lifecycle, degree days and every control option are on the full Melon aphid profile. Not sure it is this pest? Answer four questions about the damage.