greenfly

Everyday

A greenfly is a tiny green insect, a kind of aphid, that sucks sap from plants and can damage them. tree →

In the lessons

In gardens and science lessons greenfly are pests that cluster on rose buds and new shoots; ladybirds and their larvae eat lots of them, so ladybirds help gardeners. Greenfly make a sticky liquid called honeydew that ants like. Phrases: «covered in greenfly», «a plague of greenfly», «get rid of greenfly».

Examples

• The roses are covered in greenfly. tree →
• Ladybirds eat greenfly. tree →
• Greenfly suck the sap from plants. tree →
• We sprayed the plants with soapy water to get rid of the greenfly. tree →
• A single ladybird can eat dozens of greenfly a day. tree →
• Ants were collecting honeydew from the greenfly. tree →
• Greenfly cluster on the new shoots. tree →
• The greenfly made the leaves curl up. tree →

Note

Mostly British, Irish, Australian and NZ English; Americans usually say «aphid». Plural is often «greenfly» (same as singular) or «greenflies». Despite the name, a greenfly is not a true fly. In food chains: plant → greenfly → ladybird → bird.