In Poland sweet maize is a small-acreage crop, and because of this no complex plan for the protection of this plant against pests and other harmful organisms has been developed. Since the enforcement of integrated pest management (IPM) in the EU in 2014 the use of chemical control methods has to be supported by relevant data on the biology of the controlled pest. A very limited number of studies have been carried out in Poland on the harmful entomofauna of sweet maize, including aphids. Studies were carried out in 2009–2014 on a field of sweet maize (Zea mays L. var. saccharata), ‘Candle’ cultivar, in south-eastern Poland. In the study years the infestation with aphids was from very low to moderately high. Seven aphid species were identified on sweet maize. The above-ground plant parts were infested with Rhopalosiphum padi L., Metopolophium dirhodum Walk., Sitobion avenae F., Rhopalosiphum maidis Fitch., Aphis fabae Scop. and Myzus persicae Sulz. A small number of individuals representing Tetraunera ulmi L. were found on the root systems of plants. R. padi was the dominant aphid species in all study years. M. dirhodum and S. aveane occurred in lower numbers, while other aphid species formed single colonies. Aphids began to infest maize plants from the last ten days of April or from May, and ended feeding at the end of September or in the first half of October. Two or three peaks of mixed-species aphid populations were observed on sweet maize plants, with the first peak being the most abundant. Individual aphid species had from one to three population peaks on plants, but the general dynamics of insect occurrence was affected mainly by the two most abundant species: R. padi and M. dirhodum.

39-54