Among aphids that feed on maize, it is the most commonly encountered and most economically damaging, particularly in tropical and warmer temperate areas.

[7][8] In winter, winged parthenogenetic females and larvae survive on wild-growing monocots, from which they move to agricultural fields in the spring.

Dense populations of R. maidis on maize (Zea mays) can cause direct damage through the removal of photosynthates.

[9] Large amounts of honeydew that is deposited by aphid feeding on maize tassels can prevent pollen shed and decrease yield by up to 90%.

In addition to feeding on maize, R. maidis infests a variety of cultivated grasses, including wheat, barley, oat, rye, sorghum, sugarcane, and rice.

[17] Relative to other maize-feeding aphids (Rhopalosiphum padi, Schizaphis graminum, Sitobion avenae, and Metopolophium dirhodum), R. maidis exhibits a greater tolerance of benzoxazinoids, the most abundant class of maize defensive metabolites.

[19][20][21] Both increased DIMBOA-Glc synthesis and reduced conversion to 2-hydroxy-4,7-dimethoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one glucoside (HDMBOA -Glc) can enhance maize seedling resistance to R.

[26] One of the major volatiles emitted by damaged maize is the terpene (E)‐β‐farnesene, which also functions as an alarm pheromone for aphids and thus may be repellent.

[27][28] To better enable research related to ecological interactions, virus transmission, pesticide resistance, and other aspects of the species biology, a high-quality genome was assembled from a parthenogenetic R. maidis lineage collected from maize.