NEW YORK INVADED BY INSECTS

These small creatures, white or green, move around in such large numbers that they form clouds in the sky of the city, forcing residents to wear masks to avoid inhaling or swallowing them.

Although the images of a city infested with these small insects may impress, the authorities want to reassure the population by specifying that aphids are harmless to humans. However, it is recommended to take some protective measures to avoid inhaling them.

But what exactly are aphids ?

These are insects that feed on the sap of plants. They have the particularity of being parthenogenetic, that is to say that the females can reproduce without fertilization, giving birth to clones of themselves. Thus, their population can rapidly increase under favorable conditions.

Aphids do not always have wings, but when their numbers reach a certain threshold, they develop wings so that they can take flight and colonize new host plants. This is the reason for their presence in the New York air.

According to specialists, this invasion of aphids is caused by several factors. First, New York experienced an unusually mild winter, which encouraged the early proliferation of plants that aphids feed on. In addition, the current hot and humid climate of the city is conducive to the development of these insects. Finally, the strong winds contributed to the dispersal of aphids in the atmosphere.

The New York City Department of Health wants to reassure the population that aphids do not pose any known danger to public health. They do not carry diseases and do not bite humans. In reality, aphids are rather beneficial for the ecosystem, since they serve as food for many predatory birds and insects, such as ladybugs or parasitoid wasps. They thus participate naturally in the regulation of insect populations.

The people of New York just have to wait for the natural cycle to end, that is, for the predators to do their job or for the climatic conditions to change.