The major problem is that curled needles reduce the marketability and value of Christmas trees. Balsam twig aphids also produce honeydew, a sticky material that drops to needles and twigs below. Honeydew gives the needles a shiny appearance, but is usually washed off by rain within a few weeks. At times the honeydew can become a growth medium for sooty mold, which turns the needles and twigs black. The small brown balsam twig aphid eggs are laid in bark crevices and covered with white waxy filaments.
Adults can be winged or wingless.
The wingless adults are bluish-gray in color. The winged aphids, also known as winged reproductives, have five dark spots on the thorax. The balsam twig aphid, Mindarus abietinus , is in the order Homoptera, family Aphididae. The balsam twig aphid has a complex life cycle that includes four different adult stages. First generation females emerge from overwintering eggs throughout April and up until mid-May.