This is an insect that uses its piercing and sucking mouthparts to puncture leaf cells and feed on the cell contents. When aphids feed on an infected tree, they pick up the virus on their mouthparts. If they move to another tree, they can then transmit the virus to that healthy tree. This question cannot be fully answered at the present time. Because there is no cure for a plant virus infection, the only way to get rid of the virus is to get rid of the infected plants.
Eradication means getting rid of all virus in the area, which means pushing out all infected trees.
This cultural control method is aimed at helping plants avoid contact with a pathogen to prevent further spread of the disease. It is anticipated that infected trees in Adams County will be destroyed, but we do not know how many nearby trees may need to be destroyed to assure that all early infections are also eliminated. That decision will be based on the very best scientific information available about virus distribution. No trees should be removed until growers are contacted by USDA or PDA officials. Symptoms of PPV infection vary in different stone fruit species, and in different cultivars of a species.