[4] Sugarbeet root aphids have soft bodies that are bulbous in shape, with mandibular parts that can pierce and suck and paired abdominal tubes that point backwards, and come in both winged and wingless forms.

[5][6] They are known for their consequential effects on agriculture due to infestation of plants, and efforts to control the pests have proved to be difficult.

[4] They have globular bodies that are soft, with mandibular parts that allow them to pierce and suck and paired abdominal tubes that point backwards.

As dispersal can be costly in terms of fecundity or survival, or both, then sugarbeet root aphids are likely to delay departure until host quality falls below the average expectation for the habitat.

[10] In the spring, a female nymph (also known as a stem mother) emerges from an overwintering egg and initiates a gall on one of the leaves of the Populus tree.

[11] The gall forms around the stem mother, who begins to reproduce parthenogenically while feeding on the leaf's phloem sap.

In the summer, they form alate migrants that fly back to the Populus tree and asexually produce sexual males and females whose sole purpose is to mate, as they lack mouthparts to feed.

[12][13] Sugarbeet root aphids are closely synchronized with their hosts Populus augustifolia, with the majority of stem mothers colonizing leaves within three days after the leaf buds burst.

Two stem mothers sharing a leaf spend a significant amount of their time engaging in territorial behavior instead of feeding or gall forming.

[11] As a result of the importance of leaf choice in their reproductive success, sugarbeet root aphid stem mothers are highly territorial and will compete with each other for the chance to form galls at the bases of the largest leaves.

This competition usually takes the form of kicking and shoving contests; two stem mothers will align rear-to-rear and push against the other forcefully using their hind legs.

A side effect of this intense territorial competition is the creation of a "floater population" of unsettled stem mothers searching for unoccupied leaves.

[21] At the onset of autumn in temperate regions many species switch to the production of sexual forms, with each clone producing both egg-laying females and males.

The galls formed by sugarbeet root aphids act as physiologic sinks, diverting and intercepting the plant's normal transport of resources and nutrients.

14C labeling experiments have shown that their galls intercept resources being transported from the midvein to the distal parts of the leaf.

[22] After emerging in the autumn, the migrant forms of sugarbeet root aphids seek out Populus trees to colonize.

[6] During dry years when cracks form in the soil, the secondary host roots become much more accessible to the aphids, which can lead to severe yield loss.

[27] Further studies have shown that sugarbeet root aphid infestation is most prevalent in the upper Midwest during drought years, and in the southwest during times of low irrigation.

[7] However, Knox Out 2FM and Counter 15G have proven to be effective in containing infestations,[2] although some states, such as California, currently have no chemicals registered for use on the sugarbeet root aphid.