Aphids on sedum plants & the predators that control them

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My latest YouTube video: “Aphids on sedum plants & the predators that control them”.

Sedum plants attract aphids that are specific to sedums and other plants in the family Crassulaceae.

The aphid is the ‘stonecrop’ aphid (Aphis sedi). It is greenish-black with pale legs and antennae. Have you seen this aphid? It occurs throughout Europe and parts of Asia and North America, as well as here.

The aphids on my sedum plants are controlled by various predators. All I have to do is hold my nerve. Did I manage to do that this year, or did I have to spray the aphids? Check out the video to find out.

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6 Replies to “Aphids on sedum plants & the predators that control them”

  1. Hi Denis, I greatly enjoy your bug videos. I am the membership Officer for Butterfly Conservation SA, A South Australian Society. Occasionally I inform our members on various things of interest pertaining to butterfly conservation and particularly information that they can put to good in their gardens. Hence I haven been sharing your Minute bugs videos.
    This one is particularly important.

  2. thank goodness you are going to feature the good bugs If we know them better than the bad guys they may eventually get lady bird status and have a chance to survive

  3. Don’t know how to give your videos a thumbs up (no apparent boxes to tick), but not being on any social media, maybe I’m missing something.

    I love your videos and look forward to ‘Bug Basics’ and whatever you send. I have both your books too.

    My sweet corn crop grew and flowered well, but then the flowers (and underleaves) became infested with aphids and I feel stopped successful pollination. I had 4 delicious cobs but the others have failed to develop fully. I didn’t want to spray them as I thought that would prevent the pollen falling (but so did the aphids). No predatory insects came to my aid, though I do have yellow ladybirds that help out with powdery mildew on the zucchini leaves and I do see hoverflies in my native garden. Often heaps of them.

    The aphids on the corn have now become small oval blobs, presumably they are pupating. They are pale brown, some seem dark green and some nearly black. Several Silvereyes are currently feeding on the underside of my climbing beans leaves and flitting off to find other delicacies but have shown no interest in the abundant insect food all over the failed corn plants!

    I’m in Canberra if that’s relevant (climate etc).

    Cheers and thanks

    Sally

    • Thanks for your comments Sally. The ‘thumbs up’ thing only works if you are viewing the videos on YouTube itself, so don’t worry.
      It would be unusual for aphids to prevent pollination, it’s probably something else that prevented the cobs from filling.
      Aphids don’t pupate – there’s a topic for a future Bug basics! – so I wonder if your ‘blobs’ indicate that the aphids have been parasitised by little wasps? In November last year I did a post on cabbage aphids. In that video you will see parasitised aphids. Do your aphids look like that?
      Cheers
      Denis