Help! Whitefly, aphids and ants..

[Notsogreenthumb]

I woke up to this.. I'm reading conflicting things online whether ants eat the green aphids or not but all I know is my plants are covered in them. I've sprayed them with water but that won't do much as they just come right back

One year aphids killed every indoor orchid I had and every outdoor veg I grew so I absolutely despise the critters

Ants are the enemy!
They farm the aphids, protecting them from predators and moving them around and they may occasionally eat them.
Much like we do with livestock.

I wouldn’t spray them or anything though, they are a very important food source for so many creatures.
If they get too bad you can knock them off with a spray of water from the hose

**wouldn't spray them with pesticide spray I mean.
Water is fine

Or just pick the leaves off. The birds love aphids by the way as do ladybirds. I really don't bother about insects they are natural of course!

If you can stomach it I squish them with my fingers. I don't like to use pesticides - and besides most are resistant anyway.

I don't mind a few greenfly etc but there's ridiculous numbers especially on the young rosebuds and rose shoots at the moment, they're damaging them. And I've only seen one ladybird today and that was in the front garden not where the pests are. At present I'm just rubbing them off with my fingers (not too bad with rubber gloves on), I may try a water blast this evening. Is there any other beneficial-insect friendly way of removing the overload? I think I've got a bumble nest (buff or possibly white tailed I think) in the Ivy above the worst affected border so I need to be extra careful.

I can't stomach squishing them so water it is. I've just pulled the tops off of my broadbeans to try and lessen them but I don't think that'll do much

Remember aphids are basically water. It makes squishing them feel less unpleasant.

Aphids like the tender new growth, so taking the tips off broadbeans will help.

It seems to be a bad year for aphids. I wonder whether it's that the cold April/May cut down predator populations? Aphids are geared up to build up numbers very rapidly so will boom while the predator numbers catch up.

Thanks @mere, I agree about the cold wet May adding to this as they are in parts of the garden that they normally don't visit. Everywhere I look I have black and green aphids and have yet only seen one ladybird. And slugs! So many slugs!

Interesting! I have just come in from the garden thinking I’d have to Google aphid control as we’ve got a honeysuckle in the hedge that’s absolutely covered, and roses, other plants too ... seem to be absolutely everywhere. Wonder where all my ladybirds are, we usually have loads.

I wonder whether it's that the cold April/May cut down predator populations?

I reckon it was that in combination with the earlier warm spell - the ladybirds etc were tempted out of hibernation and then came the hard frosts.

Thank goodness that we're having a sensible conversation about aphids without resorting to the 'just spray with insecticide' solution. We may start saving the natural world yet

It's amazing how many more birds etc. there are here (mid west Fr.) since the local council has stopped the spraying of the verges.

Saw a lady bird on the potatoes today .. slowly slow perhaps

My honeysuckle is infested with aphids too. It’s absolutely covered in the things and no one seems to be eating them!

I used to spray with nettle infused water. I think it helped

You can buy ladybirds - I never have because they're a bit expensive, but might be worth it if you don't want to squish?

Thanks @Pootles34 I thought of this but then I wonder if too many lady birds will cause other issues.

Yes Gorgeous They say that the healthier the plant the less likely they are to get aphids etc. it does seem to be the case in our garden ( the soil is n't suited for roses) but as I'm not 'showing' any flowers I don't mind. The flowers don't get affected!