Trouble with Aphids, the red ones

[Aerows]

They are again chomping up my eggplant and tomatoes.

Suggestions?

[northernsouthern]

1. Scorched earth...

Then start an online rumor that they are secretly not aphids, but lady bug sympathizers.

You can hit them with some of the sprays like neem oil, but it can hurt the pants. I try to smash them all, use the oil, return to them, and let loose lady bugs. But aphids are little bastards. There is a spray by dr dead bug (I think is the name) that is organic and may have worked well. But aphids are annoying to get rid of.

[hollysmom]

2. I had heard taht if you take dead aphid bodies and garlic and a little oil and run

it thoruogh your blender then spray it on the plants, it will keep them away,

Ihave never seen red ones, I have the annoying rose eating green ones - I release ladybugs.

[Aerows]

3. Garlic sounds plausible.

I think I'll try that. I don't like shooting my plants up with questionable insecticides.

[Aerows]

4. Another question

Someone posted a while back that you can plant near your plants and draw bugs away. NRaleighLiberal probably knows what I'm referring to.

He knows more about tomatoes than anyone on the planet!

I'll take a pic tomorrow to let all know what I'm talking about.

[mopinko]

5. stop the ants.

ants enable aphids. a nice coating of diatomaceous earth all around the plants, and anywhere you see ants usually does the trick. retreat if it gets wet.

get some yellow sticky cards, too. they wont wipe them out, but they do let you know if/when you have won.

[Curmudgeoness]

6. Are they doing real damage?

I often see aphids early, but within a couple of weeks, I will see ladybugs going at them. It seems that nature has a way with things like this....the aphids emerge, then they are there for the ladybugs when they appear. If there is not damage being done yet, you might wait a couple of weeks to see if predators show up before working too hard at killing them.