Colorful Swarm by TwoPynts
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Description
That was my first reaction upon seeing this plant. I had never seen so many Aphids in one place in my life. Still, with their colorful bodies on the green stalks against the sky, there was a strange beauty to this scene. I thought I would share it with you and see what you think. ='] ----- MEET THE PEST Aphids are pests of vegetables, field crops, shrubs, flowers and ornamental trees. They like to feed on cabbage, peas, potato, tomato, beans, roses, ornamental flowers, trees and shrubs (birch, elm, ash, maple, oak and pine). Healthy plants can tolerate a small number of aphids, however, damage results when large numbers are present. The aphid uses its needle-like mouth piece to suck sugar-rich sap from the plant. Aphids are small (less than 1/10 inch or 2 3/5 mm long), have long antennae, and are most commonly green in colour but can be yellow, pink, red, grey, black or brown. A short pair of tubes which are located on the abdomen are used for defensive purposes as they produce a spray warning when the aphid is threatened. Most aphids are wingless. However, when the temperature is not suitable or over-crowding takes place, some species can form wings and move to new areas. When a plant is attacked by a large population of aphids, damage such as reduced growth, wilted leaves, drying branches, stunted needles, curled, yellowed or downward cupped foliage may result. Many aphids remove excess sap from plants and excrete it. This clear, sticky, sweet substance, called honeydew is found below the host plant and may act as an attractant for other insect pests such as ants. The excess honeydew also acts as a host for a harmless black sooty mold which often grows in the secretion. Some species of aphids are also known to transmit viruses to the host plant upon which it feeds. Text taken from Environment Canada. Read more at: The Bug Review and Gordon's Aphid Page.
----- Olympus C8080 & PhotoshopCS
Comments (26)
Egmont
Your aphids are a beautiful rich yellow gold, while the few that we have are pale green. Very interesting! Certain wasps and not yellow jackets, along with lady bugs and a couple others, love to devour these creatures all day long.Just use soap and water to get rid of these to keep the environment clean. Have a grand weekend, will it be in the garden?
rayburg
They look like little aliens trying to take over the world. great capture.
Punaguy
Such colorful pests...I have these now and then, and always on the good flowers never on the weeds I don't care about...Nice work here Kort! Aloha!
gwfa
isn't it so that the insects already have the world ? - well seen...
Zacko
Cool! Never seen those before, but they sure fits this picture. Really looks beautiful, especially against that gradiant blue background. Have a great saturday #:O)
EricSBauer
fantastic color and dof!!! lighting is perfect as well!!! nicely done Kort!!!
jcv2
Yep, ants and aphids live in symbiosis frequently! The colors are great here but it might mean the end of the plant! Excellent work!
Tedz
Looks like Kernal Corn on attack...."Oh yes We are Marching off to Victory...We are Marching off to War!" Muuuuuah!
Digimon
Yes! I agree! But WOW!! What an "Alienesque" looking shot!! Inspirational! Excellent macro!
DavidEMartin
Since ants have bene known to farm aphids, we're looking at an ant-equivalent of the Ponderosa here!
pm_hackworth
Well, your right! It's eeeeewww and wow at the same time!!! VOTE!
Margana
LOL!"Meet the pest." . Very funny Kortalouche. But EEEWWWW!!!!I gotta say that's pretty gross.I was fine until I found out what this was.Tried to not get skeeved but really didn't want to go back and look again.So from memory I'll say it's cool-looking.An interesting image. Have a great one! :)
parb1194
Excellent macros of these little bugs, yes nice contrast shows them off nicly.
sharky_
Oh no! They are back in numbers. We have the green ones that feed on my vegetable garden. Some how even with the soap and water treatment, they seem to enjoy the bubble bath. Excellent capture. Aloha
thevolunteer
Attack of the killer APHIDS. There sure are a lot of them. Nice capture though. Aloha
logiloglu
fascinating macros. thanks for the information. excellent presentation,Kort. !!!!!! #:O) !!!!!!!!
cynlee
eeeeeeeeeee... they like cactus too... makes for a neat shot, close but still at a distance :]
diomedes66
WOW, what an image! My initial reactions are the same as yours -'what magnificent colour and form' yet 'bugs' -- still, the composition speaks for itself - magnificent!
hotracer2
Interesting image, was hard to tell what they were at first, colors and clarity excellent:):):):):)
Mikan
the first shot is really really nice - the complementarity of the colours is enchanting!
pimbotin
What a shot! And what a text! The proof that there can be worse pest for nature than mankind! Bravo!
erskogly
These little suckers (an apt term in this context) are very fond of my roses, mine are green though - these are beautifully colored, but a pest nonetheless. Nice capture!
tibet2004uk
Oh man! I've never seen orange ones before! I thought these were tiny flowers! O_o Very striking contrast of colors indeed and great infos!
maggiemai
Ewwwww is right!!! These give me the creepy-crawlies!! They just look like little blobs with no features until I read they are actually alive and insects! Quite amazing capture and so sad for that poor plant. V
watapki66
Wonderful macro and a perfect title!
blacq_nyght_vampyre
WOW!! This is fantastic!! Poor plant!! LOL!