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How to identify it
Look-alikes
| Look-alike | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Other aphids on mint and apple | AphID records the mint aphid from plants in only two families: the rose family and the mint family.[2] |
Where it lives
Found around the world in all but the coldest land habitats. The Pacific Northwest handbook treats it as a pest of commercial mint.[2][1]
Biology and life cycle
Mint aphids spend the winter on the base of mint plants and on the roots. In spring the females give birth to live nymphs.[1]
It can go through 10 to 12 generations in a single year.[1]
It has been recorded from several plant species in just two families, and it prefers rose-family plants and mints.[2]
Damage and signs
- Large populations stunt and distort mint stems and leaves and leave plants more prone to water stress.[1]
- The honeydew the aphids excrete can help leaves sunburn or cover them with black sooty mold.[1]
- It is a vector of Mint virus 1, a virus found in several mint clones and species. AphID counts it as an important aphid on apple, quince and mint.[3][2]
Health risk
The sources describe it only as a plant pest; none mentions any risk to people or pets.[1][2]
Control
Biological control
For commercial mint, the Pacific Northwest handbook lists microbial insecticides: Beauveria bassiana (most effective when used at first detection), Chromobacterium subtsugae, and Burkholderia products, which give suppression only. Some formulations are OMRI-listed for organic production.[1]
Pesticides
Other insecticides the handbook lists for mint aphid in commercial mint include azadirachtin and pyrethrins (some formulations OMRI-listed), flonicamid, thiamethoxam, malathion and acephate. It notes that flonicamid works best when applied before large populations build up.[1]
Common questions
- What are the small green aphids on my mint?
- They are likely mint aphids: wingless adults are apple green to yellow-green and only 1.5 to 2 mm long, and winged adults have a dark brown head and thorax.[1]
- How do mint aphids survive the winter?
- They overwinter on the base of mint plants and on the roots, and females start producing nymphs in spring.[1]
- Can mint aphids spread plant diseases?
- Yes. Transmission studies identified the mint aphid as a vector of Mint virus 1, and AphID notes it has been implicated in transmitting one plant virus.[3][2]
Sources
- Pacific Northwest Pest Management Handbooks (Oregon State University, Washington State University and University of Idaho Extension), “Mint-Aphid, Pacific Northwest Insect Management Handbook.” pnwhandbooks.org/insect/agronomic/mint/mint-aphid (accessed 2026-11-09)
- USDA APHIS PPQ Identification Technology Program (AphID), “AphID: Ovatus crataegarius fact sheet.” www.aphid.aphidnet.org/Ovatus_crataegarius.php (accessed 2026-11-09)
- American Phytopathological Society (Phytopathology), “Characterization of a novel member of the family Closteroviridae from Mentha spp. (Tzanetakis, Postman and Martin 2005).” doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-95-1043 (accessed 2026-11-09)
- iNaturalist, “Ovatus crataegarius taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/394163 (accessed 2026-11-09)