SUMMARYField surveys from 1967 to 1970 of a Ribes species collection comprising ninety‐five plants representing fifty‐six species and fourteen sections of the genus, revealed moderate or severe aphid infestations as follows: Hyperomyzus lactucae (L.) on ten species included in five sections; H. pallidus H.R.L. ten species, two sections; Nasonovia ribisnigri (Mosley) twenty‐eight species, seven sections; Aphis grossulariae Kltb. twenty‐two species, ten sections; Cryptomyzus ribis (L.) four species, two sections; C. korschelti Börner three species, two sections.Cut shoot tests suggested that c. 50% of sixty‐three field‐resistant accessions were tissue‐susceptible to H. lactucae, and about 70% of fifteen field‐resistant types were tissue‐susceptible to N. ribisnigri. Possible field escape mechanisms are discussed.In breeding black‐currants resistant to H. lactucae and gooseberries resistant to N. ribisnigri, the donors R. sanguineum and R. cereum, and R. roezlii, respectively, were chosen for their high field and tissue resistance and for the known, or expected, fertility of their F1 hybrids with black‐currant and gooseberry.