Aphids

Aphids are small, pear-shaped insects that feed in groups. They produce live offspring without mating. Aphids can travel from leaf to leaf and from plant to plant as wingless nymphs, and wingless or winged adults. Adults also can travel for miles when carried by wind. Aphids usually invade fields as winged adults and, once stablished, can occur in large number on the underside of the newer leaves.

Aphids can cause significant damage to tomatoes because they consume plant nutrientes and their sucking feeding behavoir can cause chlorosis and distortion of the leaves, abscission of blooms and plant stunting and wilting. Aphids excrete excess plant sap as a sugary honeydew. and sooty mold can grow on the honeydew that is left on fruit and foliage, thus reducing fruit quality. Two common tomato aphid pest are the potato aphid (Macrosiphum euphorbiae), which is large (3mm in length) and pink or gree in color, and the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), which is smaller (1.5mm) and is light to dark gree.