Aphid Description

• Aphids are soft-bodied insects that can be hard to find on a tomato leaf.green aphids image by joanna wnuk from Fotolia.com
  
  Aphids or plant lice are soft-bodied insects with a pear-shaped body that is 1/8-inch long. The common colors are green or black, but other colors exist. A special characteristic of aphids is a structure on their back called a cornicles, or tubes, that protects them from enemies.
  
  

Feeding Habit

• Aphids can pass viral plant diseases from one plant to anothertomato plant image by Crisps85 from Fotolia.com
  
  Aphids suck sap and juices from new growth on tomato plants. This causes wilting and the loss of vigor, and distorts the shape of the plant. Aphids also pass on viral diseases from one plant to another.
  
  

Living Conditions

• Ants and aphids can be found on tomato plants.ants & aphis image by Marek Kosmal from Fotolia.com
  
  Aphids and ants take care of each other. Aphids feed ants with their honeydew. This honeydew is the sugar leftover from their feeding on tomato sap. Ants protect aphids and their eggs by overwintering the eggs in their nests. In the spring, the ants move the eggs to plants and protect them
  
  

Aphid Control

• Ladybugs provide a natural way of controlling aphids.ladybugs image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com
  
  The best way to control aphids is through biological means. Ladybugs, lacewings and flower fly maggots feed on aphids without any negative environmental side effects.