When do winged forms (alates) of the woolly elm aphid depart the leaf galls to seek root infestation sites?
Answer
Around mid-summer
The life cycle of the woolly elm aphid is timed according to seasonal changes relative to the elm host. After the first generation of aphids has successfully fed on the developing leaves and induced the characteristic galls in the spring, they undergo maturation. Once these aphids mature into winged forms, known as alates, they vacate the gall structures. This departure and subsequent search for new colonization sites, specifically the roots of elm trees, occurs around the middle of the summer season, shifting the feeding activity underground.
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