1.
Diagnosis: Aphids are small, 1/16- to 1/8-inch-long
(2-4 mm), pear-shaped, soft-bodied insects. They can range in color
from green, black, red, yellow, brown or gray. For details, see
reference 1.
2.
Knock off as many as you can using a blast of water.
First choice: early in the morning. Second choice: in the evening.Repeat that every day or two, as needed.
3.
If they keep returning in intolerable numbers: Make
a 2% solution of dish detergent (e.g. Dawn) in water. Spray that on
the plant. Spray the undersides of the leaves and anywhere else the
aphids might be hiding. Detergent is milder than any insecticide, but
it works.Repeat every few days if needed, which it probably won’t be.
Note that 2% is one tablespoon per 3 cups of water, or 5 tablespoons per gallon.
I have a sprayer that works great for this. I pump up the pressure so it makes a fine but powerful spray. The wand makes it easy to reach the underside of the leaves.
4.
Ladybugs are great in principle, but they don’t stick
around here. They fly up into the mountains to escape the warm
weather.
5.
As discussed in reference 2, forget about sticky
“aphid traps”. «Almost none of the aphids on a plant can fly.»