They will sustain themselves by feeding on corn leaves until silks emerge. Some areas are still suffering from lack of rain. Aphid, thrips, and mite populations tend to increase under dry conditions. Infestations of these sucking pests often begin on the edge of a field. I have had no reports of aphid outbreaks, but numbers could increase later in the season on crops like corn and beets.
Corn is colonized by Rhopalosiphum maidis, the corn leaf aphid .
This species causes yield loss by sucking on the corn plant and removing nutrients. It also secretes a sticky substance called honeydew as it feeds. Heavy aphid populations in the whorl of drought-stressed plants can kill leaves, the tassel, and reduce yield. It is a subterranean aphid, feeding on the roots of beets and reducing both yield and quality. The aphid secretes a white waxy material that covers its body and the root surface.