Is it really May?

Bulletin week 3: 6 May ̶ 12 May started with two promising summer-like days but then quickly deteriorated with autumn-like gales, which severely restricted further aphid flight activity. Daytime temperatures hovered at or below aphid flight threshold levels. Very few field reports have been received, but there must be some aphids out there which are continuing to develop in readiness eventually for flight, should warm, still conditions return. The few aphids we did catch in the suction-traps this bulletin week were still mainly tree aphids: in particular, the first captures of the sycamore aphid, Drepanosiphum platanoidis, at four sites, a month later than 2012.  A single glasshouse and potato aphid, Aulacorthum solani, was caught at Starcross, plus four shallot aphids, Myzus ascalonicus (Elgin 2, Preston 1 and Kirton 1).