Bennington County forester Chris Stone took this picture on Friday, September 16. Well?
Answer
Boogie-woogie aphids.
Well, that’s just their nickname. This insect’s true name is beech blight aphid (Grylloprociphilus imbricator). Many people guessed incorrectly that this was the woolly alder aphid, which looks remarkably similar, but is a regular pest of alders, not beech trees.
The beech blight aphids, which feed primarily on the sap of beech trees, have white filaments protruding from their bluish-white bodies, giving them a wooly appearance. They gather by the thousands to form colonies on branches and the underside of leaves – colonies so extensive they can sometimes be mistaken for a dusting of snow. But it’s these pests’ defensive antics that earn them their nickname: when threatened, these aphids raise their posterior ends and sway back and forth, creating their own little aphid dance.
This week’s winner is Edna Greig, who went the extra mile by giving us the insect, the tree, and their scientific names.
This week’s contest winner was Edna Greig