'' In warm or moderate climates, the greenbug reproduces by
parthenogenesis, female insects producing
nymphs at the rate of up to five per day on
paspalum near the Florida coast. There are three
instar stages and a generation length of seven to nine days at . In cooler climates, females mate in the autumn with winged males, and the eggs overwinter on such grasses as
Poa pratensis. Within the
Post-Soviet states there can be up to fifteen generations in the year and the most favourable temperature is around for wingless forms, and for winged ones. When feeding on grasses, the aphids suck the sap and at first cause yellow or red spots on the leaves. As the greenbugs become more numerous, the plant progressively develop yellow and red hues, leaves die, roots die and in extreme cases, the whole plant succumbs. On susceptible cultivars of small grain crops, the plant size and yield are affected. In turf grass, the tips and blades of the leaves turn yellow with brown tips, which contrasts strongly with healthy leaves. As the leaves die back, the aphids move on to fresh foliage. The greenbug is the
vector of several plant viruses including
barley yellow dwarf virus,
sugarcane mosaic virus,
maize dwarf mosaic virus and millet red leaf virus. ==References==