These Cute Cottony Bugs Found in Illinois Are Secretly Wrecking Your Plants

Have you ever spotted a plant in your yard or garden that looks like it's covered in cotton balls? Spoiler alert: it's not. It's likely covered in bugs.

What Is a Fairy Fly?

In the last few weeks I've seen several people I know in Illinois and Wisconsin posting photos of tiny, whimsical bugs that look like this:

Have you ever seen a bug like that before? It is called a Fairy Fly, aka, a woolly aphid, and the white stuff covering it is actually wax!

According to Wikipedia:

Woolly aphids (subfamily: Eriosomatinae) are sap-sucking insects that produce a filamentous waxy white covering which resembles cotton or wool. The adults are winged and move to new locations where they lay egg masses. The nymphs often form large cottony masses on twigs, for protection from predators.

Here’s the big problem with woolly aphids: they may be harmless to humans, but they can be very harmful to plants. Woolly aphids can completely take over a garden and suck so much sap that the stems and leaves are weakened, which can seriously damage plants.

An article from Planet Natural says:

They’re known for their ability to form symbiotic relationships with ants. The ants will protect the aphids from predators in exchange for the honeydew they produce. This mutually beneficial relationship can make it even more difficult to control a woolly aphid infestation.

Here are some more fascinating facts about woolly aphids:

How To Get Rid of Woolly Aphids?

If woolly aphids become a problem in your garden or yard there are a few things you can do to get rid of them according to Planet Natural:

1. Prune infected branches and stems and dispose of them.
2. Treat infected plants with insecticidal soap or neem oil.
3. Spray plants with a DIY soap solution made of 2 tablespoons dish soap per quart of water.
4. Use chemical pesticides.

Now that we've got your woolly aphid questions covered, do you have a big problem with mosquitoes too? This should help: