This aphid of Palaeartic origin is widespread in southern Europe, central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Introduced into the Republic of South Africa in 1978, it has remained a persistently serious pest. In the Crimea, this species has decreased the harvest up to 75 percent in some years. In south-central Turkey heavy damage was reported in 1962 in wheat and barley. Reports of damage are known from countries around the Mediterranean Sea and other areas of Asia.
Damage is greatest when crops start to ripen concurrently with peak aphid numbers.
Damaged plants have a purplish tinge. In the Crimea, the damage is heaviest on barley in June, but wheat is damaged to a lesser extent due to its being more well developed at that time. In heavily infested barley, development of the grain is delayed, and the upper two leaves often do not unfold. When barley is infested early, the crop may be a total loss. Damage in wheat and late-infested barley can result in a considerable reduction of the crop yield.