Some species will lay eggs on an alternative host, usually a perennial, for the winter. Rose aphids, however, are single-host and eggs are generally deposited on canes. As the weather warms, the eggs hatch, producing only female nymphs that begin to feed. Over the next ten days, the nymph molts about four times before becoming an adult. There is no pupa stage.
Aphids have many generations a year.
In late summer and early fall, the females produce a few males. At the same time, females are produced holding eggs instead of live young. They mate, and the female lays the eggs for the next season. Habits Aphids get to their food source by flying, or more accurately drifting. The sugar water that fuels their bodies, fuels the wings, and the aphids can stay aloft for only a short time and short distance.