Woolly Aphid (specifically likely a Woolly Apple Aphid or similar species)
Scientific Name: Eriosoma lanigerum (most common representative)
Order & Family: Hemiptera (Order), Aphididae (Family), Eriosomatinae (Subfamily)
Size: Individual bodies are very small, approximately 1-2 mm long, but the waxy cotton-like covering makes them appear slightly larger and fuzzy.
Natural Habitat
Typically found on trees and shrubs in orchards or gardens. They prefer apple, pear, hawthorn, and elm trees, where they colonize twigs, branches, roots, and wounds in the bark.
Diet & Feeding
They feed on plant sap (phloem) by piercing the bark and stems of their host plants with specialized mouthparts. This feeding can weaken the plant.
Behavior Patterns
These aphids are notable for secreting a white, waxy, cotton-like substance that covers their bodies for protection against predators and desiccation. They tend to cluster in groups on branches or roots, resembling patches of cotton or mold. They have complex life cycles often involving overwintering on one host and migrating to another.
Risks & Benefits
Risks: They are considered agricultural and garden pests because their feeding causes galls (swollen growths) on roots and branches, stunts plant growth, and leaves sticky honeydew which promotes sooty mold. Benefits: In a broader ecosystem context, they serve as a food source for predatory insects like ladybugs, hoverflies, and lacewings.
Identified on: 2/9/2026