Bastard Blackfly

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My broad beans are being seriously attacked. I go out and get rid of as many blackfly as I can of a morning and by the next morning they're pretty much all over my beans again. I've never had it this bad - is anyone else having the same problem?

On the plus side, the slugs are pretty absent from my lettuce this year.

Same with my tomatoes - nothing I spray them with seems to get rid, only kills a few so I assume the eggs survive and carry on.
Spraying them daily and feel like giving up as it's a fiver a bottle!

Have you got ants? I'm pretty sure they're the master minds behind the invasion.

I don't spray, I use a damp piece of paper towel with washing up liquid on it so wipe all the bastards away. It was a bit easier when I could jet wash them off but a waste of water.

Oh I haven't really noticed ants - a few on the broad beans but not near the tomatoes.

Going to try your technique, definitely cheaper and worth a try!

(I'm a novice gardener so grateful for any tips!)

Spray. My guelder rose and blackthorns in my hedge got munched again this year and I didn’t know why...blackfly.

Got Provado Ultimate Bug Killer fom Sainsburys and have sprayed twice (with a two week gap) and it’s worked. The blackfly havent spread to my veg plot next to the hedge either. Have also used this on my roses and have not had any bugs at all on them. Am ready to spray again this weekend and expect to do it perhaps once more.

Yes terrible blackfly this year and ants are farming them on my broad beans.

I don't really want to spray - don't want to kill the ants even though they're making it worse - so I might cut my losses now as I had a decent early crop before the fly got going.

I'm using the aldi eucalyptus washing up liquid in the watering can I wiped the nastertion leaves with it before they flowered but am just topping up now.

The squishy shits get used to the same flavour of soap.

You need to plant things which attract them like.. cilantro, dill, fennel, caraway, yarrow, tansy, angelica, scented geraniums, coreopsis and cosmos around your problem plants

I’ve already got nasturtiums around the garden (also covered in the buggers with ants milking them like a dairy) but some of your suggestions I’ll try next year. I love coreopsis but it lasts about three seconds in my garden - the slugs must be able to smell it a mile off and can strip a plant overnight 😖 I also love cosmos and have never tried it in the border, only on pots - one on the list for next year. Will try the herbs too.

Buy LOADS of garlic.
Boil the bulbs in water until they've gone seriously mushy.
Strain into a big bowl.
Throw away the garlic pulp.
Put the water in a spray.
Spray your plants.