Melon-cotton aphid - the latest issue to affect UK gardens

Dutch elm disease, sudden oak death, box moth, and horse chestnut leaf mining moth are issues that we’ve become familiar with in recent years.  It seems another problem has recently been added to the list.  Melon-cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii, was first identified in 2024 after the RHS received over 60 reports of misshapen and mis-coloured leaves on Buddleja plants.  Previously it had been recorded as a pest of glasshouse crops but last year the issue seems to have left the shelter of the greenhouses and ventured into gardens where it has become  a widespread issue, affecting Buddleja across the UK.

Although the effects of the aphid appear quite severe it’s currently thought that long term issues to the overall health of the tree are minimal. I have it on all the Buddleja I look after and every specimen I pass on my walk into town shows the familiar blotching and distortion on the leaves.  As part of the RHS’s research they are asking for gardeners to report any sighting of this aphid and its effects.  A link can be found here https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/aphids-on-buddleja