“Yes,” acknowledged Billy, “nothing but aphids. I’ll now try to repeat a little of our lesson on—
Aphids or Plant Lice
There are several species of aphids, but those most commonly seen are little green ones.
Nearly all delight in feeding upon the sap of young tender[G] shoots. They thrust their tiny sharp beaks into the stem, and, with their hind legs or claws in the air, suck the juices into their soft little bodies. The sap is turned into honey-dew in their stomachs, and ants use them for their cows! But they give them honey, and not milk. Perhaps ants like honey-milk better than we like cow’s milk. Aphids seem very insignificant. They are helpless little creatures, and are very easily killed. Indeed, they are so stupid they don’t seem to know when they are being killed. Even though they are stupid, they do a great amount of harm in the garden, stealing the vital fluids of the plants.
They multiply so rapidly that their many enemies do not do away with all of them, so almost all gardeners use a “spray” to kill them.
One of the most interesting of their enemies is the—
Aphis-lion
This little worm-like creature is hatched from the egg of the mother lace-wing, an airy green fly with light lacey wings. She places eggs on a leaf nearby a group of aphids. The little creature that is hatched is very hungry and immediately begins to look for food.
It seizes the first aphis it can find in its strong pincers, and lifting it high in the air, drinks the honey juice in its body with great enjoyment.