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Honeysuckle Aphid

Hyadaphis tataricae[4]

The honeysuckle aphid is a tiny European aphid whose feeding turns bush honeysuckle shoot tips into dense witches' brooms.[1][2][3]

Group
Insect
Order
Hemiptera
Family
Aphididae
US records
12 states
Sources
4 cited
Updated
2026-10-17
Witches' broom of dwarfed, folded honeysuckle leaves caused by honeysuckle aphids
Witches' broom of dwarfed, folded honeysuckle leaves caused by honeysuckle aphids. (c) Eric Schmidt, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Where it lives
  3. Biology
  4. Damage and signs
  5. Health risk
  6. Control
  7. Related profiles
  8. Common questions
  9. Sources

How to identify it

  • Aphids are tiny, about 2 mm (UMass) or under 1/16 inch (Morton), pale green to cream with a fine white waxy coating.[1][3]
  • Early signs are curled, dwarfed leaves folded upward along the midvein, with the aphids hiding inside.[1][2][3]
  • Later, clusters of short, weak side shoots form witches' brooms whose leaves brown and die before fall color, staying obvious through winter.[1][2][3]

Where it lives

Native to Europe; first found in North America in Quebec in 1976 and in Illinois in 1981, it has since spread wherever bush honeysuckles grow.[1][2]

US map: public records from 12 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

It spends its whole life on honeysuckle: black eggs overwinter on twigs and buds and hatch at budbreak.[1][3]

Females give birth to live young without mating through summer; winged males and wingless females appear in late summer or September to mate and lay the overwintering eggs.[1][2][3]

Illinois notes about 90 percent of eggs are laid on the damaged tissue.[2]

Damage and signs

  • Tatarian, Amur, Morrow's, small-leaved and blueleaf honeysuckles are hosts, with Tatarian honeysuckle among the most susceptible.[1][3]
  • Saliva toxins stunt shoot growth, and the brooms are usually killed by frost.[1][2]
  • It rarely kills plants, but repeated brooming weakens them and spoils their looks.[3]

Health risk

None to people or pets.[1][3]

Control

Prevention

Illinois reports 'Arnold Red' Tatarian honeysuckle and small shrub varieties resist damage, and Morton notes over-pruning and heavy nitrogen feeding encourage aphids.[2][3]

Traps and physical control

Prune branches about 6 inches below last year's brooms in winter or early spring, before the eggs hatch, and destroy the prunings.[1][2][3]

Biological control

Lady beetles and hoverflies eat the aphids, though UMass doubts they prevent damage in landscapes.[1][3]

Pesticides

Once the leaves fold and brooms form, sprays can't reach the aphids; Illinois advises treating only at the first sign of damage during new growth.[2][3]

Common questions

Why does my honeysuckle have bushy clusters of dead twigs?
Those are witches' brooms caused by honeysuckle aphid feeding.[1][2][3]
When should I prune out honeysuckle witches' brooms?
In winter or early spring before the eggs hatch, about 6 inches below each broom.[3]

Sources

  1. UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry Program (Landscape Insect & Mite Guide), “Hyadaphis tataricae (Honeysuckle Aphid).” www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/landscape/publications-resources/insect-mite-guide/hyadaphis-tataricae (accessed 2026-10-16)
  2. University of Illinois Extension, “Honeysuckle Aphid (plant problem selector).” selectors.extension.illinois.edu/pathogen/honeysuckle-aphid (accessed 2026-10-16)
  3. The Morton Arboretum, “Honeysuckle Aphid (plant care resources).” mortonarb.org/?p=28590 (accessed 2026-10-16)
  4. iNaturalist, “Hyadaphis tataricae taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/81905 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-17. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.