Causes of regional and yearly variation in pea aphid numbers in eastern England

Regional variation in the number of pea aphids caught in the suction traps of the Rothamsted Insect Survey (RIS) was associated with the proportion of each region under pea crops. The degree of infestation of crops was similar in areas of high and low pea production as the mean annual abundance of aphids per hectare of crop remained constant. Yearly variation in abundance was loosely associated with temperature from January to July. Cold weather in January and February resulted in large numbers of aphids. Warm weather in February led to early colonization, and emigration from, pea crops as well as making early sowing of the crop more likely. A forecast of the time of first appearance of Acyrthosiphon pisum in the aerial plankton can be made, based on February temperature. Populations of A. pisum on peas appear to be regulated by alata production. High densities of aphids resulted in almost all the nymphs developing into alatae which, on reaching maturity, emigrated, causing populations on the crop to decline. This explains population crashes of the pea aphid observed at early growth stages of the crop, on vining and combining peas. Late sowing of peas, a probable effect of cold winters, results in higher aphid densities at flowering. The probable explanation for this is that late-sown crops are colonized at an earlier growth stage, so that the aphid population has a longer period of time in which to develop.