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Identification methods and control techniques for the tea aphid

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The tea aphid, also known as the citrus two-tailed aphid, belongs to the order Homoptera, family Aphididae. It sucks sap and causes damage on young shoots, buds and leaves. When tea plants are severely affected, the young shoots, buds and leaves shrivel and curl, growth stops, yield is affected and quality is reduced. Dry tea made from damaged buds and leaves is dark in color, with turbid liquor and a fishy odor, and its color, aroma and taste are all extremely poor. The aphid's excrement, "honeydew," contaminates the buds and leaves and induces sooty mold. The winged adult tea aphid is about 2 mm long, yellowish-brown and glossy. The base of each antennal segment is pale yellow. The middle vein of the forewing forks into two branches. There are 4 pairs of black spots on the dorsal side of the abdomen. Winged nymphs are brownish-brown with milky-white wing buds.

The tea aphid, also known as the citrus two-tailed aphid, belongs to the order Homoptera, family Aphididae. It sucks sap and causes damage on young shoots, buds and leaves. When tea plants are severely affected, the young shoots, buds and leaves shrivel and curl, growth stops, yield is affected and quality is reduced. Dry tea made from damaged buds and leaves is dark in color, with turbid liquor and a fishy odor, and its color, aroma and taste are all extremely poor. The aphid's excrement, "honeydew," contaminates the buds and leaves and induces sooty mold.

The winged adult tea aphid is about 2 mm long, yellowish-brown and glossy. The base of each antennal segment is pale yellow. The middle vein of the forewing forks into two branches. There are 4 pairs of black spots on the dorsal side of the abdomen. Winged nymphs are brownish-brown with milky-white wing buds. Wingless adult aphids are nearly oval, slightly plump and brownish-brown, with fine, dense, pale yellow transverse reticulate markings on the body surface; the base of each antennal segment is milky white and the tip is black. Wingless nymphs are light brown or pale yellow.

There are many kinds of natural enemies of the tea aphid, such as ladybugs, lacewings, hoverflies and aphid wasps. In spring, as the tea aphid population accumulates, natural enemies also appear accordingly, and when the tea aphid population reaches its peak, the number of natural enemies surges, causing the population to drop sharply. For example, each hoverfly larva or adult or larval ladybug can consume 80-117 tea aphids per day. Therefore, as long as natural enemies are well protected, there is no need to spray pesticides for tea aphids in tea gardens. However, when the number of natural enemies is low, the rate of shoots with aphids in the tea garden reaches more than 10%, and the average population on aphid-infested leaves has reached 30, chemical control should be considered. The pesticides can be selected from pymetrozine, YouSheng, Actara and others.

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