Can't be 100% sure from that photo, but it looks to me like you got an aphid killing friend. Ladybug larvae. They're aphid eating machines :O)

Also, I'm pretty sure BT is not effective on aphids and other "sucking" insects. It's good for foliage eaters.

Bt isn't listed for aphids. Bt has to be eaten to work and aphids don't "eat" they only suck moisture from plants. So not sure why you would expect it to work on them.

But there are numerous pesticides available for aphids - both organic and synthetic chemical. Safer makes a good organic one. You can also use one of the homemade spray recipes IF you use it carefully as it can harm plants if over-applied or applied in the direct sun. However most sprays will kill just as may good guys as bad ones so make sure you have a real problem before spraying anything.

1 T liquid dish soap in 1 gallon of water, shake well, pour into spray bottle, mist the bugs lightly. Do NOT drench the plant leaves, aim for the aphids. Plants are quite tolerant of some aphids so there is no need to get aggressive unless it is a really major infestation. And the larvae there isn't hurting anything. He's helping so leave him alone.

And you don't need a hose to blast them off with plain water - just a spray bottle.

Dave

The creepy thing does look like a ladybug larva. Rejoice! They eat aphids even more than the full grown ladybugs.

Insects damage plants by either chewing or sucking. Bt is used for caterpillars that chew on plants. Aphids suck plant juices. Water with dish soap or an insecticidal soap is effective for controlling aphids. It coats their bodies.

I tried the soap solution once and gave up. Will try again. BT in soil keeps the larvae population down. I use the BT spray for caterpillars. And was hoping these evil green things would die too because they are sucking out my leaves :( I will try the soap soln again.

Btw aren't lady bug larvae supposed to have little legs? This thing was crawling like a caterpillar. I haven't sprayed the Pyrethrin sol, used a soln of soap and water with little mouth wash in it. :D
The green aphids, do they die if they fall off the plant into the soil, or do they just climb on to the next leaf?

Caterpillars have little legs too, you know :) This fellow most certainly has legs too.

Depending on the species, leg size varies. Red-spotted Lady Beetle larvae have smaller legs than a convergent or asian lady beetle.

:) lol yeah, my bad. What I meant to say was long legs.

Any chance of a decent picture of that critter? It doesn't look like a ladybug larvae on my computer.

The insect in your image is a syrphid fly larva. As was said previously, it is an aphid-eating machine. The adult flies resemble bees in that they have yellow & black coloration.

No, I couldn't find find it again. Am hoping it is one of the beneficial ones. If I spot it again , I will take a better pic.

Today I found a brown lace wing larvae on my bell pepper plant. Now I know that is beneficial. May be it was the pupa I found? I crushed some orangey eggs on my leaf surface. Now I think they may have been lady bug eggs :(

Is there a good site to know beneficial insects, their eggs, pupae and larvae by looking at them?