The green peach aphid infests a wide range of plants. Some important hosts include cabbage and related cole crops and leafy greens, tomato, tobacco, potato, spinach, pepper, eggplant, legumes and others. Green peach aphids extract sap from plants and excrete a sweet sticky substance known as honeydew. Black sooty mold grows on the honeydew and, though not directly harming the plant, may block out sufficient light to reduce yield. The green peach aphid transmits several viral diseases including several important mosaic viruses on squash and other cucurbits.
Winged forms migrate to other hosts in late spring.
In Georgia, the aphids are nearly all females. Successive generations of females, mainly wingless, are produced throughout the year. Winged migrants develop whenever overcrowding occurs or food becomes scarce. Many generations may occur per year. In many crops, natural controls often can regulate the population below economic impact thresholds.