Identification
This bright yellow aphid grows up to 3/8th of an inch (10 mm) long. It has black legs, black eyes, long antennae and two black tubes in the rear, called cornicles, which secrete noxious liquid in defense against predators like lady bugs and their nymphs. These aphids suck the juices from plants, usually from a leaf vein, plant stem or developing flower clusters. They are often tended and protected by ants, which feed on a sugary liquid called honeydew, which the aphids also exude. Females often give live births during the growing season, often without fertilization by males (parthenogenesis). They also lay fertilized eggs, which overwinter to become the next generation in spring. These aphids shed their skin periodically as they mature (the white objects in the first image).
These aphids are common in this area where milkweed and related plants grow. They are generalists when it comes to feeding because they use more than 50 host species of plants.
Oleander Aphids are native to the Mediterranean but are now cosmopolitan around the world. Like the Monarch and related butterflies, these aphids pick up deadly cardiac glycosides from their host plant and deposit them in their bodies. The noxious chemicals also become part of their cornicle secretions (exuded from the tubes on the rear end). Their bright orange color serves as a warning to predators – at best they taste awful, at worst they can kill.
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