Fuchsia Gall Mite, Aculops fuchsiae alert

For those of you in the UK, just a word of warning about a relatively new pest, the fuchsia gall mite (Aculops fuchsiae) which has reared its ugly (literally!) head recently. 
It first appeared in Hampshire UK about three years ago but is now quite widespread in the southern parts of the UK.
The mite is tiny  (in fact it can only be seen with the aid of a microscope) but the effect it has is HUGE! As it feeds on the shoot tips and flowers it causes reddening, and as the population of mites increases, the infested areas also become thickened and deformed.  General growth is stunted and you may well see few of those flamboyant flowers.
Sadly there are no pesticides available to gardeners which can be used to control the fuchsia gall mite, so you'd be best advised bin or burn infested plants as soon as you spot them. BUT, having said that, the Royal Horticultural Society's Entomology department is trying to map just how far this pest has spread, so before you bin and burn any infested fuchsias, please send an affected sample shoot, in a dry, sealed polythene bag to : Gardening Advice (Entom), RHS Garden, Wisley, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB