Born Pregnant: Aphids Invade With an Onslaught of Clones | Deep Look

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Female aphids are the matriarchs of a successful family operation— taking over your garden. But don’t lose hope; these pests have some serious predators and creepy parasites looking to take them down. SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look! http://goo.gl/8NwXqt Please join our community on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/deeplook DEEP LOOK is an ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small. --- Aphids are one of gardeners’ most hated pests. They’re incredibly prolific, seemingly popping up overnight to take down your favorite veggies. "Aphids are just experts at reproducing," said Ian Grettenberger an entomologist at the University of California, Davis. "Given the right conditions, they can multiply really quickly and get out of control. For most of the year female aphids giving live birth to clones that are themselves already pregnant. That means that most of the time, all of the aphids you see in your garden are pregnant females. When their population gets big enough and the plant they’re on starts to wane, aphids start giving birth to a new type of winged clones called alates. Amazingly, the alates are genetically identical to their wingless mothers. The alates take to the air to find new plants to colonize. --- What do aphids eat? Aphids use their pointy stylet to pierce plant leaves and such out the sugary sap. Usually, plants can handle a light infestation, but aphids reproduce quickly. Heavily infested leaves yellow and wither. Aphids can also carry viruses that they spread between the different plants they feed on. --- How do aphids spread? Aphids give birth to winged clones called alates that fly from plant to plant. Since aphids can clone themselves, it only takes one aphid to infiltrate your garden and start causing trouble. --- How do I get rid of aphids? Some gardeners use oils and pesticide sprays to get rid of aphids but it’s very challenging to get every last one of them. You can purchase predators like lacewing larvae to hunt and eat aphids. You can also purchase parasitoid wasps that lay their eggs in aphids, killing them. ---+ Find additional resources and a transcript on KQED Science: https://www.kqed.org/science/1973052/born-pregnant-aphids-invade-with-an-onslaught-of-clones/ ---+ More great Deep Look episodes: These Mites Rain Down To Save Your Strawberries | Deep Look https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1XFi9r3dIE Sharpshooter Insects’ Sexy Vibrations Spell Trouble in the Vineyard | Deep Look https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFA614SEDMQ Samurai Wasps Say 'Smell Ya Later, Stink Bugs' | Deep Look https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8y2XmjdXqw&t=75s ---+ Shoutout! 🏆Congratulations🏆 to the following 5 fans on our Deep Look Community Tab for identifying the phenomenon of aphids giving birth to young that are already pregnant - telescoping generations! Duncan AphidKirby Philliam P Paweł Szymanek B.C. ---+ Thank you to our Top Patreon Supporters ($10+ per month)! Alex Burt Humburg Egg-Roll Shebastian Reyes Wild Turkey Josh Kuroda Chris B Emrick Karen Reynolds dane rosseter David Deshpande Daisuke Goto Nathan Jewsbury Tianxing Wang Allison & Maka Masuda Companion Cube Joshua Murallon Robertson Elizabeth Ann Ditz Kelly Hong Kevin Judge Gerardo Alfaro Robert Amling Laurel Przybylski Leonhardt Wille Sonia Tanlimco El Samuels Mary Truland Shelley Pearson Cranshaw Supernovabetty Carrie Mukaida Sayantan Dasgupta Aurora Roberta K Wright monoirre Rick Wong Kristy Freeman Silvan Caitlin McDonough Misia Clive Carlos Carrasco Nathan Wright Levi Cai Nicolette Ray Blanca Vides Titania Juang Teresa Lavell Scott Faunce Cristen Rasmussen Syniurge SueEllen McCann Noreen Herrington Louis O'Neill Kallie Moore Anastasia Grinkevic Cindy McGill Aurora Mitchell Tearra Guice Adam Kurtz KW Laura Sanborn TierZoo ---+ Follow KQED Science and Deep Look: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kqedscience/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/kqedscience ---+ About KQED KQED, an NPR and PBS affiliate in San Francisco, California, serves Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial TV, radio and web media. Funding for Deep Look is provided in part by PBS Digital Studios. Deep Look is a project of KQED Science, the largest science and environment reporting unit in California. KQED Science is supported by The National Science Foundation, the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the Vadasz Family Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Campaign 21 and the members of KQED. #aphids #deeplook #alates