# Aphids?



## markbudde (Jan 4, 2008)

Ok, this post isn't technically about plants, but it is plant related. It was with mixed emotions that I found a thriving aphid colony on a prized aralia, a sentimental plant from a family member. Of course, I don't want my aralia to succumb to death due to these ecovampires, but I'm more than a little thrilled with the possibility of some new feeders. Since I have an obsession with self-sustaining terrariums, I couldn't help but consider the possibility of adding some aphids to my terrarium with an aralia in it. But the aralias are not super terrarium plants, they grow to tall for my low ceilinged vivs, and they could grow a bit faster. So here is the question, does anyone know of a fast growing terrarium plant which is prone to aphid attacks? Pothos or creeping fig would be nice, but I'm looking for anything which grow very quickly in a terrarium. So if you've worked in a greenhouse or have experience, please let me know!

Here are some pics of the ones I found today. They are about 2mm long.
Top View









Bottom View









Check out this sucker!


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Hi Mark,

Your best bet may be Aphis gossypii, the cotton or melon aphid. It has a wide choice of hosts including invasive plants like ground ivy.. I know that both violets and ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) will grow well in terraria. Check out the info at 

Cotton aphid or melon aphid

Just keep in mind that your house plants may also be considered host plants...

Ed


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## markbudde (Jan 4, 2008)

Thanks Ed. I've never kept Ivy in a viv, but I suspect it would grow pretty fast. I don't really have any houseplants outside my vivs, other than future viv plants (and my aralia) so that shouldn't be a problem. Reading about them a little, it sounds like they may not have quite as wide of a choice of hosts as previously thought. It sounds like there may be a number of cryptic species, or sub-species, that can infest different plant species. I'm going to read more about this when I get some time.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

It will grow amazingly fast... I was thinking about it and you might want to consider violets (Violacea) instead.. 

Interesting on it either being a species complex or a group of subspecies with thier own specialties. 

Ed


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## potogold71 (Jan 22, 2009)

There has got to be a way to culture them like they do for silkworms or hornworms. Or maybe just soak paper towel in some kind of sugar water and let them drink out of that. I've never put them in terrariums because I didn't want them to infest my plants but I do it for my fish. In the summer I just go outside and find a plant covered with them, cut the tip off the branch and toss it in my tank. If they ate a poisonous plant could they then poison frogs?...Chad


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