Budworm counts are not necessary after topping, but heavy infestations should be noted. Budworms can be found by carefully separating the small leaves on the bud. Aphids are small, soft-bodied insects that can build to large colonies on tobacco. Winged aphids fly to plant beds or fields, where they produce a wingless form of the insect. Typically their numbers increase slowly until about six weeks after transplanting, then the rate of colony growth accelerates.
Populations usually peak shortly after topping, then decline.
Aphids damage tobacco by sucking plant juices from the leaves. This insect also deposits on tobacco plants a clear, sticky waste product called honeydew. The presence of honeydew encourages the growth of sooty mold. The leaves of plants infested with aphids may be distorted, thin bodied, difficult to cure, and darkened by sooty mold. Quality as well as yield may be reduced.