Species Hyalopterus pruni - Mealy Plum Aphid

The adult is pale bluish green and has a white, powdery coating that makes it look gray to light green.(1) Some individuals in the colony may be pink.

Found across the U.S.

Spring through Fall

Apricot, peach, plum, reed grasses and cattails.

Feeds on Phragmites communis in the warm season and some Prunus species during the winter.(1)

The aphids overwinter in the egg stage near the base of flower buds. They hatch when the buds bloom. The adults will remain wingless for 3-13 generations before winged adults appear during warmer weather in June/July. The winged adults will move to reed grasses or cattails, while the wingless adults will remain on the fruit tree. The winged adults return to the fruit trees in the fall to lay eggs which will overwinter. (2)

Non native, introduced from the Mediterranean region around 1879.

(1)Washington State University

(2)University of California

National Center for Environmental Research

UCanUC IPM. Mealy Plum Aphid