You don't really mean 'flea-like', do you? How about 'aphid-like'? ;-)

Agree they are most likely aphids.

Dave

Possibly young cucumber beetles?

My bet is aphids.

Dan

Spray with neem or dishsoap/water. Use joy or dawn (NON antibacterial) at 1tsp per 24oz spray bottle. Spray in the evening, after or near sunset for best results.

Um, yeah, I meant flea-like, but sure, they could be gnat-like or aphid-like.... I'm a total newbie, so I have no idea what they could be. I know one of our oleanders has aphid infestation, so maybe I should have looked over there to see if they're more aphid-like than flea-like!

How do you know the difference between young beetles and aphids, without waiting around to see if they grow bigger???

And I'll try the soap spray this evening. Thanks!

Young beetles are larvae of some kind...they don't look anything like the adult. When those larvae pupate, they transform into the insect we recognize as a beetle. They are not teeny versions of the adult, which will get bigger as they mature. They always emerge from pupation AS an adult. In other words, there are no 'young' (baby) beetle-y beetles.

Aphids are small, soft bodied, pear shaped insects which come in a wide range of colors. Once you've looked at a few pictures of aphids on line, you'll be able to easily recognize them for yourself.

There are other insect possibilities, but without a good description of the appearance or behavior OR a picture, we'd only be guessing. Aphids are a good guess given the information we've received...since aphids are a common pest of tomatoes (and most other garden plants).

Hi Jeff,
Is this the bug?

Here is a link that might be useful: Oleander Aphid

Yuck! That's one ugly bug. Assuming it's aphids, I had luck with an all natural garlic spray last year. Just google "garlic spray for aphids" and it will give you the recipe.

Kim

Yep, I think that's it! I couldn't figure out how to post pics (most of the links to test/help seem to be broken) and I doubt I could have gotten pics like that anyway!

The only reason I didn't think it would be aphids is that we do have lots of ants in our yard, so shouldn't they be taking care of the aphids?? And I never knew they could be yellow...

I'll be releasing some ladybugs tonight to see if we can get rid of them that way, but if we use the garlic or neem sprays, will either of those hurt/deter the ladybugs?

Jeff,
Ants will "herd" aphids because they secret a "honeydew" off which the ants will feed so the ants can make the issue of aphids worse. The suggestion for natural garlic spray may be good as is a concoction of hot chile and soap which will do in these soft-skinned insects. BTW, aphids come in all kinds of colors...green, yellow, red, black, white...

Ladybugs are a good natural control. Here's a link you may find helpful on aphid control.

Here is a link that might be useful: aphid control

Hi Jeff. Where did you get the lady bugs from? I have some aphids in my garden and would like to buy some, too. Or, green lacewings.

tracydr -I just ordered my lady bugs from March Biologicals on the recommendation of another GW member. They had the best online/shipping price, great bugs and delivered fast. I used them indoors to control an aphid problem on my pepper seedlings and was amazed at the good results.

Bellatrix

Here is a link that might be useful: March Biologicals for ladybugs

From a little bit I have read, Neem should not be harmful to the ladybugs because they don't eat the leaves of the plant. Garlic oil should not be harmful either. Check with your local county extension agent too.