Pea aphid biology & life cycle
Over-winter as eggs on the leaves and stems of perennial legumes. In spring, plants will begin to grow and a female aphid will hatch from an egg. This is called the “stem mother” and can reproduce without mating. They continue to feed on the growing plants and give birth to 7 -15 generations per year. Aphids will take 5 to 50 days to mature from birth to adult, depending on the weather. The aphid feeds by extracting sap from the leaves and stems of the host plant. Depending on the infestation level, this feeding can cause destruction, deformation, wilting of even death of the plant. Often, plants are coated with a shiny honeydew secreted by the aphids.
