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Plant pathogens are able to influence the behaviour and fitness of their vectors in such a way that changes in plant–pathogen–vector interactions can affect their transmission. Such influence can be direct or indirect, depending on whether it is mediated by the presence of the pathogen in the vector's body or by host changes as a consequence of pathogen infection. We report the effect that the persistently aphid‐transmitted Cucurbit aphid‐borne yellows virus (CABYV, Polerovirus) can induce on the alighting, settling and probing behaviour activities of its vector, the cotton aphid Aphis gossypii. Only minor direct changes on aphid feeding behaviour were observed when viruliferous aphids fed on non‐infected plants. However, the feeding behaviour of non‐viruliferous aphids was very different on CABYV‐infected than on non‐infected plants. Non‐viruliferous aphids spent longer time feeding from the phloem in …