--- title: Aphids canonical: https://gardensuperstore.com.au/problem-solver/aphids/ dateModified: 2026-08-07 09:35:21 summary: "Aphids are small sap-sucking insects that cluster on new growth, weakening plants and spreading viruses in Australian gardens." type: article keywords: [Aphids, Aphididae] --- # Aphids > Aphids are small sap-sucking insects that cluster on new growth, weakening plants and spreading viruses in Australian gardens. *Aphididae* Aphids are soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects usually 1-3mm long, found in colonies on tender new growth, flower buds, and the undersides of leaves. Colour varies widely by species - green, black, grey, yellow, pink or brown - with woolly aphids covered in a distinctive white waxy fluff. Adults may be wingless or winged; winged forms appear when a colony becomes crowded and needs to disperse to new host plants. Nymphs (juveniles) look like smaller, paler versions of the wingless adults and are found packed alongside them in the same clusters. Aphids reproduce rapidly, with females often giving birth to live young without mating, so populations can build from a few individuals to hundreds within a couple of weeks in favourable conditions. Aphididae is a large family of hundreds of species across Australia, many with a preference for particular host plants such as roses, citrus, brassicas, stone fruit and cereals. They're most active in spring and autumn when temperatures are mild and plant growth is soft and lush; hot dry summer weather and heavy rain both tend to suppress numbers. Management relies on regular inspection of new growth so infestations are caught early. Encouraging beneficial insects such as ladybirds, lacewings and parasitic wasps gives significant natural control, and a strong jet of water can dislodge light infestations. Avoid excessive nitrogen fertiliser, which promotes the soft new growth aphids prefer. Ants are often present tending aphid colonies for the honeydew they produce, so ant control can help reduce aphid protection from predators. ## How to identify - Clusters of small insects on new shoots, leaf undersides, flower buds and stem tips - Curled, distorted or yellowing new leaves - Sticky honeydew on leaves and surfaces below, often followed by black sooty mould growth - Ants trailing up and down stems to feed on the honeydew - Stunted growth, wilting or dieback on heavily infested shoots - Virus-like symptoms (mottling, distortion) on plants such as brassicas and cucurbits, since aphids transmit many plant viruses**Field check:** Inspect the growing tips and undersides of young leaves closely - aphids are slow-moving and easy to see with the naked eye once you know where to look. Tap or shake an affected shoot over a piece of white paper; aphids will drop off and show up clearly against the background. **Lookalikes:** Aphid colonies are sometimes confused with *scale insects* or *mealybugs*, both of which also produce honeydew and sooty mould. Scale insects are immobile once settled and have a hard or waxy shell-like covering, while mealybugs are covered in a distinct white mealy wax and tend to shelter in leaf axils and crevices rather than clustering openly on new growth like aphids do. ## Registered products we stock - [Systemic Bug Killer | Granular Garden Insecticide](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/systemic-bug-killer-granular-garden-insecticide/) — David Grays - [Spectrum 200SC | Systemic Insecticide](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/spectrum-200sc-systemic-insecticide/) — PCT SureFire - [Malathion | Insecticide Garden Spray](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/malathion-insecticide-garden-spray/) — David Grays - [Natrasoap | Insecticidal Soap Spray](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/natrasoap-insecticidal-soap-spray/) — Agrobest - [Fivestar | Insecticide](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/fivestar-insecticide/) — PCT SureFire - [Trifend | Garden Spray | Insecticide, Fungicide & Miticide](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/trifend-garden-spray-insecticide-fungicide-miticide/) — Searles - [Contendor | Insecticide](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/contendor-insecticide/) - [Eco-Neem | Botanical Insecticide](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/eco-neem-botanical-insecticide/) — Organic Crop Protectants - [Crown 225SL | Systemic Insecticide](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/crown-225sl-systemic-insecticide/) — ICL - [Py-Bo | Natural Pyrethrum | Insecticidal Concentrate](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/py-bo-natural-pyrethrum-insecticidal-concentrate/) — Pestech - [PyGanic | Organic Insecticide](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/pyganic-organic-insecticide/) — Organic Crop Protectants - [Initiator | Systemic Plant Insecticide & Fertiliser Tablets](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/initiator-systemic-plant-insecticide-fertiliser-tablets/) — Envu - [Azamax | Insecticide](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/azamax-insecticide/) — Organic Crop Protectants - [Biff 100SC | Insecticide](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/biff-100sc-insecticide/) — Colin Campbell Chemicals - [Tempo XTRA | Turf & Ornamental Insecticide](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/tempo-xtra-turf-ornamental-insecticide/) — Envu - [Velifer | Biological Insecticide](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/velifer-biological-insecticide/) — BASF - [Flikka 500WG | Insecticide](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/flikka-500wg-insecticide/) — Colin Campbell Chemicals - [Transform | Insecticide](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/transform-insecticide/) — Corteva - [Vegetable Derris Dust](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/derris-dust/) — David Grays - [Venom Professional 240SC | Insecticide](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/venom-professional-240sc-insecticide/) — Adama - [Versys | Insecticide](https://gardensuperstore.com.au/versys-insecticide/) — BASF ## Image credits - [Photo: Shipher Wu (photograph) and Gee-way Lin (aphid provision), National Taiwan University via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Acyrthosiphon_pisum_(pea_aphid)-PLoS.jpg) - [Photo: Renjusplace via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aphid_4.jpg) - [Photo: Paul van de Velde from Netherlands via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aphid_-_Bladluizen_(13930181110).jpg) - [Photo: Line Sabroe from Denmark via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aphid_(9458257946).jpg)