In North America, the sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari (Zehntner, 1897) (Heteroptera: Aphididae), has recently become an eruptive and costly pest of sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.). This pest has spread throughout at least 17 U.S. states and in Mexico and Caribbean Islands. The sugarcane aphid's ability to overwinter on living annual and perennial hosts such as johnsongrass, Sorghum halepense (L.), in southern sorghum-producing areas and wind-aided movement of alate aphids appear to be the main factors in its persistence and geographic spread. The importance of johnsongrass to the sugarcane aphid-sorghum annual infestation cycle is in part related to the ability of the sugarcane aphid to switch between these hosts and its relative reproduction on sorghum and johnsongrass. Two host plant experiments were used to investigate this ability. Beginning at the same infestation levels, more aphids were found on johnsongrass from adults that originated on sorghum than aphids found on johnsongrass from adults originating from johnsongrass or sorghum. This supports field observations that after sorghum harvest, the sugarcane aphid can persist and reproduce on johnsongrass. Host switched colonies all performed at intermediate levels, suggesting effects of the prior host do carry forward to the switched host. Pest managers can utilize this information in areas where sorghum and johnsongrass are both parts of the agroecosystem in this region and for modeling endeavors considering dispersal of sugarcane aphid between hosts.

在北美，甘蔗蚜虫Melanaphis sacchari (Zehntner, 1897) (Heteroptera: Aphididae) 最近已成为高粱Sorghum bicolor (L.) 的一种爆发性高价害虫。这种害虫已经蔓延到美国至少 17 个州以及墨西哥和加勒比群岛。甘蔗蚜虫在一年生和多年生寄主上越冬的能力，如约翰松草、高粱 halepense(L.), 在南部高粱产区和有翼蚜虫的风辅助运动似乎是其持久性和地理传播的主要因素。约翰松草对甘蔗蚜虫-高粱每年侵染周期的重要性部分与甘蔗蚜虫在这些宿主之间切换的能力及其在高粱和约翰松草上的相对繁殖有关。使用两个宿主植物实验来研究这种能力。从相同的侵染水平开始，在源自高粱的成虫的强生草上发现的蚜虫多于源自源自强生草或高粱的成虫的强生草上发现的蚜虫。这支持了田间观察，即高粱收获后，甘蔗蚜虫可以在约翰松草上生存和繁殖。宿主交换菌落均在中间水平进行，建议先前主机的影响确实会传递到切换主机。害虫管理人员可以在高粱和约翰草都是该地区农业生态系统的一部分的地区利用这些信息，并考虑到甘蔗蚜虫在寄主之间的传播情况。