# Alate

> The winged form of an aphid, produced mainly when colonies crowd or plants decline; alates fly to new plants and are caught on sticky cards.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/alate.html
- Also written: alates, winged aphid, winged morph, alatae
- Glossary category: Pests and diseases · Evidence: Established
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

An alate is a winged aphid. Most [aphids](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/aphid.md) on a plant are wingless (apterous); winged forms develop when colonies become crowded, when the host plant deteriorates, or seasonally, and they fly or drift on air to found new colonies. UC [IPM](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/ipm.md) notes that winged aphids appear when populations are high or plants are stressed.

## In practice

Alates on a yellow [sticky card](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/sticky-trap.md) are often the first sign of aphids, including [root aphids](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/root-aphid.md) that are otherwise hidden below ground. One alate on a card means a colony somewhere; inspect nearby plants and root balls. Alates arriving through intakes are a reason to screen air inlets.

## Don't confuse with

- **Apterous aphid**: the wingless form.
- **Whitefly**: also white and winged, but powdery and not an aphid.

## Related terms

[Aphid](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/aphid.md), [Holocyclic and anholocyclic](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/holocyclic.md), [Sticky trap](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/sticky-trap.md)

## Read more

- [Aphids on cannabis: species, life tables, population growth and IPM](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/pests/aphids.md)
- [Root aphids (rice root aphid) on indoor cannabis: ID, life cycle in numbers and IPM](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/pests/root-aphids.md)
- [Cannabis aphid (Phorodon cannabis): ID, life table, overwintering and control](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/pests/cannabis-aphid.md)

## Sources

1. UC IPM. Pest Notes: Aphids (Publication 7404). https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7404.html