Woolly apple aphid

White cottony clusters on bark and twigs, with swellings: an aphid protected by woolly wax that sucks the branches and distorts the bark.

How to recognise

• Crush a cottony cluster: a reddish fluid comes out — the sign of woolly aphid.
• Spot swellings and galls on branches, often near pruning wounds.

What to do

• Brush colonies with soapy water (soft soap), or cut off the most affected twigs.
• Encourage beneficials (earwigs, ladybirds) and the specific parasitoid Aphelinus mali if present.

Prevent

• Care for pruning wounds and avoid excess nitrogen that favours soft young growth.

Trees affected