The UK aphid monitoring network

Find out about the national network of aphid suction traps and yellow water traps. Delivering regional information on aphid species and numbers, this monitoring resource can help guide insecticide treatment decisions.

The suction-trap network focuses on aphid species of importance to cereals and oilseeds crops. It is managed by Rothamsted Insect Survey (RIS) and funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

The 12.2m tall traps suck in air continuously and are emptied daily during the ‘aphid season’. Each trap represents aphid-flight activity over a radius of around 80 km. Aphid species are then identified and counted at Rothamsted Research and SASA (Gogarbank suction trap).

Aphid counts are presented across a ‘Bulletin Week’ (which runs from Monday to Sunday).

In 2020, RIS introduced a free text messaging service to inform cereal growers about the number of aphid vectors in their area. In 2021, this service replaced the PDF/email service called Aphid News.

Fera manages a network of yellow water traps. Compared to the suction trap network, these traps provide more localised (and more recent) information on which aphids are flying close to seed potato crops. Funding from AHDB Potatoes supported this service until statutory levy collection for this sector ceased (2004–21).

We provide a regular snapshot of the proportion of virus-carrying cereal aphids (bird cherry-oat and grain aphids).

Issued throughout the summer and autumn, the results are based on (BYDV/CYDV) tests of a small number of aphid samples collected from four suction traps (see map).

The work screens up to 96 aphid samples each week.

Virus monitoring was conducted at the same sites for the past three autumns (2019–21), as part of a BYDV management research project.

The longer-term resource is building a picture of how virus levels fluctuate on a seasonal and regional basis.

Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) is a complex of viruses, with variants/isolates categorised according to the aphids initially known to transmit them. For example:

• BYDV-PAV: bird cherry-oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi), the grain aphid (Sitobion avenae) and other aphids
• BYDV-RPV: R. padi
• BYDV-MAV: S. avenae

There is now a greater understanding of BYDV variants and many are transmitted by more than one aphid species. However, the original names have been kept.

Related to BYDV, Cereal yellow dwarf virus (CYDV-RPV) is transmitted by R. padi.

BYDV-PAV is considered the most prevalent species, globally.

 8 December

The final data for 2023 (13.11.23–26.11.23) corresponds to the Rothamsted Research Insect Survey 2023 Bulletins 33 and 34.

32 aphids were tested:

• 32 bird cherry-oat aphids (10 positive)
• 0 grain aphids (0 positive)

Note: The accumulated data may include results from back-tests on aphids caught in earlier bulletin weeks. As a result, the accumulated data may be higher than expected (based on the latest weekly data).

• York (Y)
• Hereford (H)
• Broom’s Barn (BB)
• Starcross (SX)

Suction trap aphid data and weather data can be used to forecast the start of aphid flights. Although there is considerable uncertainty associated with actual first flight dates at specific sites, the forecasts provide an indication of how early or late flights will take place, compared with an ‘average’ season. It is important to note that some aphids overwinter in crops and are likely to be present before aphid flights commence.