Why there are so many aphids this year, and what to do about them
Warm spring weather has facilitated rapid aphid colony growth, with some species previously confined to glasshouses now appearing outdoors.
Dr. Stephanie Bird from RHS notes that while aphid populations are expected this time of year, their numbers have increased, with 2025 being dubbed 'the year of the aphid'.
Aphids can cause distorted plant growth and leave sticky excretions, but they are unlikely to kill established plants, and the RHS advises tolerating them where possible.
Gardeners are advised to avoid pesticides, which harm biodiversity, and instead use methods like squashing colonies by hand or planting pollinator-friendly plants to encourage natural aphid predators.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
34 minutes ago
- BBC News
Wildlife survey results reveal creatures we encounter the most
The red fox and the white-lipped snail were among the most-recorded species during an environmental charity's big than 800 people took part in Somerset's challenge to record the species they encounter over a 10-day period in count, which is a joint initiative between Somerset Wildlife Trust and the Somerset Environmental Records Centre (SERC), collected information about 150 species and monitored changes in wildlife throughout the Phillpot, SERC manager, said: "This year's count has helped us get ever closer to a long-term data set that we can begin to draw trends from." The trust also conducts an annual Somerset State Nature report which analyses data from wildlife records, habitat surveys, and national Phillpot added: "The last Somerset State of Nature report stated an average of 14 rabbits and 22 red foxes were recorded a year between 2010-19. In just ten days, 15 rabbits and 44 red foxes have been recorded through The Big Count 2025."This was the fourth year the organisations hosted the count, which has now generated more than 3,000 species records for Somerset since its launch in 2022, including over 630 new records in this year's 100 different species were identified in this year's count, but the most-recorded species were the white-lipped snail with 46 observations, the red fox with 44, the garden snail with 41, and common bird's-foot trefoil with Fisher, head of engagement at the trust, said: "Citizen science is such a quick and easy way of helping wildlife at home - or from anywhere across the county. "Taking part in time-sensitive projects like this is particularly helpful for us."
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Archaeologists perplexed to find ‘very large' Roman leather shoes at ancient fort
Archaeologists have unearthed dozens of Roman-era footwear at an ancient fort site in northern England, including several giant leather shoes measuring nearly 12 inches, raising questions about their wearers. The find at the Magna Roman Fort near Carvoran in Northumberland reveal fresh insights about the lifestyle of people who lived in the region nearly 2,000 years ago. Excavations began at the ancient fort's northern defensive ditches with some of the first 32 shoes uncovered seeming very large. A 32 cm leather shoe sole unearthed by the archaeologists gained attention and with further excavation of ancient shoes, several more were found to be of exceptional size. Eight ancient shoes from the site have so far been recorded as 'XX-Large' 30 cm or over in length, with one at at 32.6cm long (modern UK size 14/ US size 16) deemed the largest uncovered so far. 'There is much more to discover about the people who lived at Magna and to understand about the impact climate change is having on this hugely important historical resource,' said Rachel Frame, senior archaeologist at the project. 'Organic finds like this are some of the most precious to come from our sites, which capture the imagination of visitors and volunteers alike, but they are also the most at risk from our changing climate,' Dr Frame warned. Archaeologists also found shoes of a range of other sizes, including those belonging to children. In comparison overall, the average size of shoes found at the ancient site is about 24-26cm in length, researchers say. 'I think there is something very different going on here at Magna, even from this small sample uncovered it is clear that these shoes are much larger on average than most of the Vindolanda collection,' said archaeologist Elizabeth Greene from the University of Western Ontario. 'Even taking into account a maximum shrinkage of up to 1cm or 10mm, it still means these shoes are very large indeed,' Dr Greene said. Researchers say shoes found at the site are unique, with each one providing insights into the Roman-era person who wore it. 'It reminds us that not every population was the same, that wide variations between the regiments and people who served along Hadrian's Wall could be cultural and physical,' said Andrew Birley, director of excavations at the Vindolanda Charitable Trust. 'We can only celebrate and marvel at the diversity and differences of these people if we can still see them in the archaeological data we gather today,' he added.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Archeologists baffled over ‘unusually large' Roman shoes found in Northumberland fort
Archaeologists unearthed unusually large 2,000-year-old Roman shoes, equivalent to a UK size 13 to 14, at Magna Roman Fort in Northumberland. Eight leather shoes, each at least 30cm long, were discovered in a defensive ditch and were preserved due to low oxygen conditions in the soil. Researchers are baffled by the large size of the shoes, speculating if it indicates taller people or those from a specific region lived there. Separately, a well-preserved section of Watling Street, a 2,000-year-old Roman road, was unearthed in south-east London last year. This 276-mile route, built shortly after the Roman invasion in AD 43, was a significant discovery that has redrawn the Roman road map in the capital.
