Pea Aphid

(Acyrthosiphon pisum), an insect of the order Homoptera, family Aphididae.

The body of the pea aphid is 4–5 mm long and velvety green in color. The insect is found in’Europe, Asia, North America, and Northern Africa. It damages alfalfa, clover, fodder legumes, peas, vetch, soybeans, and other legumes. It winters in the egg phase in perennial legumes. In spring it hatches, and from June through August it produces as many as ten generations parthenogenetically. It reproduces intensively on sappy young vegetation in moderately moist, warm weather. A bisexual generation appears in autumn and lays its eggs. Pea aphids can reduce a harvest considerably by sucking the sap from stems, leaves, and pods. Protective measures include treating the crops with aphicides and early sowing of early maturing varieties of cereals and legumes.