Phorodon Passerini

This is a small genus that is associated with Prunus as primary hosts and Humulus and Cannabis as secondary hosts.  The only species in North America are introduced, one a pest of Prunus and hops, the other a pest of Cannabis. I have photos of only one of these.

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Phorodon humuli (Schrank)

This aphid is one of the more serious pests of hops in North America, and is very widespread.  I commonly see it in the spring on ornamental plums in landscapes of business districts of cities and towns and it is common on hops in gardens and along fences, etc. We had a humorous incident from hops harvest season in 2024. We grow hops around the place to serve as a quick-growing vine to ornament fences, gates, the deck surrounding the house, etc. So, we try to find home brewers to take our harvest. In 2024 we harvested a big bowl of hops and Gina took it to a colleague at work, leaving it on his desk over the weekend. Unbeknownst to Gina, these hops cones were infested with thousands upon thousands of P. humuli, which emerged over that weekend and wandered all over the office. 🙂 Now I know to warn people more thoroughly about the likely presence of hiding aphids in our harvested hops!