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Glite Dictionary
🦟 A biting insect 🌱 A plant pest
blackfly

blackfly

7.4
A small dark insect that lives on plants and eats their sap
  • noun
  • /ˈblækflaɪ/
  • UK
translation icon : pulgón negro
  • The bean plants were covered with blackfly by mid-summer, stunting their growth.

Examples

  • Gardeners tried various methods to control the blackfly infestation on their sugar beets.

  • The blackfly infestation ruined our bean crop.

  • A severe outbreak of blackfly can significantly reduce crop yields.

  • Farmers are concerned about blackflies this season.

  • The farmer noticed that the blackfly population was rising and quickly took measures to protect his crops.

  • A sudden infestation of blackfly can lead to significant damage in a sugar beet field.

  • When the blackfly swarm arrived, the plants in the garden began to wilt due to the damage.

Synonyms

aphid
vsblackfly
14 5.6

A small insect that sucks sap from plants and often damages them

is the darker variety mainly noted for attacking beans and sugar beets
bean aphid
vsblackfly
  • Specialized
7.2

A small black insect that eats the sap of beans and other crops

is the common name used for that same crop-damaging insect
Aphis fabae
vsblackfly
  • Specialized
9.9

A small black insect that feeds on beans, sugar beets, and other plants

is the everyday label for the same pest rather than the formal name

Surface Forms

blackfly singular
blackflies plural

Morphology

blackfly = black + fly (transparent) = black + fly

Meaning is a straightforward compound 'black' + 'fly' = a fly (small insect) that is black in colour.

Etymology

Blackfly is a simple compound of black ('dark color') and fly ('small flying insect'). People used this name for small dark aphids that attack plants, so the word helps you remember it means a little dark insect that can damage crops.