Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) of midfield thickets in an agricultural landscape

The occurrence and structure of associations and communities of aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in different types of midfield thickets (boundaries, bushes and "forest islands") characteristic of the Lower Vistula River Valley region are described. The study shows that midfield thickets in an agricultural environment are more attractive to aphids than those in a landscape park. It indicates that aphids choose sites with a superior availability and quantity of food and where midfield thickets border a large area of fields under cultivation. Midfield thickets are habitats which are either not inhabited by aphid species considered to be plant pests, or are treated by them as sites for further dispersal. Moreover, the aphids are often subspecies not regarded as pests, as in the case of Aphis fabae, or they feed mainly on herbaceous plants, like Hyalopterus pruni, which is most commonly recorded on common reed.