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Aphids
do not interfere with pollination unless most corn tassels are heavily covered
with aphids and their honeydew secretions. Feeding by large colonies of aphids
can reduce yields significantly. Aphid colonies can slowly kill the tassel and
top few leaves of a corn plant. The plant responds by shunting nutrients to the
feeding area and not to the developing ear, resulting in stunted ears or even
barren plants.
Adult
aphids are either winged or wingless and less than 1/25 inch long. Adults are
greenish-blue with black cornicles (tubular structures on each side of the abdomen) and legs. Nymphs look similar to adults, but they are smaller, lighter
in color, and wingless. Aphids molt and leave shriveled white skins amid the
colony. Beneficial insects usually parasitize some aphids, which helps reduce
the population. Parasitized aphids can be recognized as swollen brown mummies
that stick to the leaf.
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