- The potato aphid (Macrosiphum euphorbiae) is often the most numerous of the five or six species of aphids that regularly colonize potato crops in Scotland. It is also a potential aphid vector of non-persistent potato viruses (e.g. PVY, PVA).
First flight predictions 2026
- Early season predictions suggest that potato aphid flights should be close to average. However, numbers could still rise during the summer, increasing virus transmission within potato crops in response.
- Environmental conditions over the early summer do influence population development, and growers should monitor how the populations of this species develop over the season.
Table 1 – Macrosiphum euphorbiae predictions
| M. euphorbiae | Dundee | Edinburgh |
| First catch 2026 |
31 May* |
18 May* |
| Predicted first catch 2026 | 23 May | 15 May |
| Average date of first catch | 1 June | 24 May |
| Total catch to 05 July 2026 |
3 |
12 |
| Predicted total catch to 17 June 2026 | 5 | 15 |
| Average total catch to 31 July | 59 | 48 |
*Date of first capture may change due to incomplete catches from early in the season.
Potato aphids in 2026:
- During week 29 June to 05 July 2026, three (3) potato aphids were caught in the Scottish traps.
- Fifteen (15) potato aphids have been caught at Dundee and Edinburgh up to 05 July, ranking 33rd from the previous 40 years. 20% of the cumulative total has been caught at the Dundee trap; 80% at Edinburgh.
- The first potato aphid was caught at Edinburgh on 18 May - three days later than predicted. At Dundee the first individual was caught on 31 May - eight days later than predicted.
SASA