A dozen or more generations are typical in Virginia. Periodically, some or all of the young develop wings and migrate to other plants. With the return of autumn's shorter days and cooler temperatures, a generation appears which includes both males and females. After matting, these females lay the fertilized eggs which overwinter and eventually hatch into stem mothers the following spring. Aphids are in the order Homoptera, Family Aphididae.
Aphids feed by sucking up plant juices through a food channel in their beaks.
At the same time, they inject saliva into the host. Light infestations are usually not harmful to plants, but higher aphid populations cause leaf curl, wilting, stunting of shoot growth, and delay in production of flowers and fruit, as well as a general decline in plant vigor. Some aphids are also important vectors of plant diseases, transmitting pathogens, particularly viruses, in the feeding process. A distinctive feature of aphids, as well as some scales and other bugs, is the production of honeydew. Honeydew is the clear, sticky dropping that lands on the leaves or anything below the plant or tree that aphids are feeding upon.