Myzus cerasi
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Myzus cerasi, the black cherry aphid or cherry blackfly, is an aphid in order Hemiptera. It is a true bug and sucks sap from plants. Morphology: "Myzus cerasi is a small to medium-sized aphid. Adults are shiny, very dark brown to black, with a sclerotized dorsum. Siphunculi and cauda are entirely black. The legs and antennae are yellow and black. Apterous summer virginoparae have a shiny black body, siphunculi and antennae. Cauda dusky to black, and tibiae yellow except tips.
Ecology: The Myzus cerasi breeding habitat is found at growing top shoots of Prunus spp., Prunus cerasus and Prunus avium. Forming large colonies that cause leaf curling and damage to newly forming leaves. Myzus cerasi is also considered to be a cosmopolitan species, ranging across Europe and parts of Asia. The species wide range and differing host species allows for breeding programs to make use of possible natural deterrents that may be more effective than previous pesticides. While research has shown correlation to damage caused by cherry aphids and half-line hosts, there is also evidence for host population resistance.
Biopesticides: Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus thuringiensis, where found effective in both lab and field studies at reducing aphid population size. While environmental conditions reduce effectiveness of biopesticides this can be attributed to aphid populations experiencing reduced exposure to FDP-41. While only 10 ng/μL of FDP-41 is needed to reach 70% mortality rate within 72 hours, under lab conditions, further studies are needed to increase the viability Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black Cherry Aphid sighting in London on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1219th most-seen of the 1504 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black Cherry Aphid in London on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Black Cherry Aphid sightings, London ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same family: Aphididae
The closest relatives of the Black Cherry Aphid that you can see in London (family Aphididae, Aphids) are Giant Willow Aphid (about 10%), Elm Balloon-Gall Aphid (about 10%) and Elm Sack Gall Aphid (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Cherry Aphid is recorded against all the insects logged in London (7 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
