Infestation on chilli plant

[HolyFalseEquivalencyBatman]

I assumed fruit flies as when it was on the windowsill after being brought in in late autumn we were inundated with them.
However, these only ever seem to be wingless and crawl on the leaves. I’m managing to mostly keep them under control if I rub every single leaf and flower petal every day, but it’s a bit of a chore. If I leave it a day or two then there are dozens of them again.Maybe they would grow wings if I didn’t squash them so regularly though?
What are they, and will I ever obliterate them in this way?
Tia.

Aphids. If the weather is warm enough you can put the plants outside and hope some ladybirds notice, but if they are staying indoors then you need to carry on rubbing them off every day. A spray of soapy water can help, as long as you get it on the underside of the leaves.

Aphids, aka greenfly. You will keep them at a manageable level doing what you’re doing. You could try washing them off with a jet of water. Or put them outside when the weather’s warmer. Or find a ladybird.

you can spray them with a tiny bit of washing up liquid to act as a wetting agent. This will wet their spiracles (breathing holes in their skin) and drown them - but it will kill beneficial insects too.

Ooh really? They don’t look like the ones on my roses so it never occurred to me that was what they were. The fruit flies must have been coincidental then.

Thanks both. I will keep doing what I’m doing then, when feeling brave enough to put back out, will stick a couple of lady bugs on it, we have loads at the moment.

There’s lots of different species of greenfly.

Fascinating creatures (I used to work with an aphid taxonomist) They give birth (asexually) to live young, who may already be pregnant, so they’re giving birth to their daughters with their granddaughters already ready to be born - the secret of their ability to increase rapidly. When conditions get too crowded, a winged generation is born, for dispersal to new plants.

This bit from wiki is fascinating - using light for energy, analagous to photosynthesis “Some species of aphids have acquired the ability to synthesise red carotenoids by horizontal gene transfer from fungi.[46] They are the only animals other than two-spotted spider mites and the oriental hornet with this capability.[47] Using their carotenoids, aphids may well be able to absorb solar energy and convert it to a form that their cells can use, ATP. This is the only known example of photoheterotrophy in animals. The carotene pigments in aphids form a layer close to the surface of the cuticle, ideally placed to absorb sunlight. The excited carotenoids seem to reduce NAD to NADH which is oxidized in the mitochondria for energy.[48]”

@MereDintofPandiculation aphid taxonomist is an excellent job title!

they’re giving birth to their daughters with their granddaughters already ready to be born - the secret of their ability to increase rapidly.

well that does explain how I go from maybe one or two missed ones to seemingly 32 billion in the blink of an eye!