What's on my potato plants?

[Attie17]

Hello all, growing some potatoes for the first time and spotted some small, dark bugs on them today. Any one know what they are and if I need to do anything about them please?

Looks like aphids OP

Thanks. Have added two other pictures. There are ants, but maybe the black dots are eggs, rather than a grown bug? Any advice is much appreciated, as an a first-time gardener!

They are aphids and the ants are farming them.

Thank you! How industrious of the ants.

I've tried to remove them by hand and used soapy water on them. If I need to do anything else, please let me know!

I heard on the r4 that the way to get rid of them is to get rid of the ants as well. You put down some icing sugar near the plants and the ants will take it to their nest. Once you know where that is, you pour boiling water in it to kill them.

Not only do the ants farm them, but they move them from plant to plant so you do need to get rid of the ants as well to tackle the aphid problem.

All I can say is soapy water doesn't help, aphids ate my roses alive :( I'd go to a garden centre and get some big guns OP