Well, I was going to say they looked like aphids, but since that's not it, I don't know. It's a pretty good macro shot of the little blighters, though... : )

Kate

Jeffrey,

My first impression is aphids...
Second impression is aphids and whiteflies if the little white things flutter around when disturbed...

Peyton

could they be some kind of thripe?

Dawn

The aphids I know are green or black. I have seen something like that on some tree, not on my plants luckily, and those bugs had wings.
I think they could be Metcalfa pruinosa or Trialeurodes vaporariorum (white fly).
That ladybug is going to get an attack of indigestion :)

Alessandro

When the ladybird lays twenty eggs, wait a week, then your bugs will be gone :) The eggs are yellow or orange and laid in clusters, usually under the leaves. Make sure you don't have ants which may remove the eggs.

I would say this is a typical aphid infestion. The white thingies are empty skins from dead aphids.
Pieter

Dear All,

Thank you all for the infromation, encouragement and japery.

I'll take a picture of what I thought was aphids (they love the flowers of Pachyphytums). Perhaps, like mealy bugs, there are lots of different species.

Peyton,

They're not whiteflies. We also have those (they really like Hibiscus out here) and fortunately, I don't have those yet. But I'm cursed with lots of other pests. I guess they're just part of the labor of love.

Thanks again to all of you. Allesandro, I appreciate the names - I'll look them up.

Jeff-- Yep, there are myriad aphid species, and they can be cream colored, black, gray, brown, green, yellow, red, pink, or even purple.
I can't say for sure without an in-person look (but please don't send me any-- an long distance guess will suffice), but I think Pieter is on the right track. The little white thingies look to me like shed skins from the previous nymphal instar.

Jeff, since you appreciate the names, could you please spell mine correctly? LOL :)
Still have to figure out why not-italian people from any place in the world tend to double that "l"...

...just joking, of course.

Cheers,
Alessandro

I think it is Thrips, not Aphids.

Dear Alessandro,

My apologies for allowing that mistake into my message.

I am non-Italian, as you surmised, but I do like to cook Italian sausages on the BBQ. I hope that fact puts me back in your good graces.

Jeff,

They are thrips. There are a number of species of thrips. Some are black, some are white, and some are brown. They feed off leaves and flowers. They are also a primary vector for a number of viruses.

-Ron-

{{gwi:482269}}

Certainly the shape suggests thrips, but I don't see the characteristic light and dark streaky mottling they usually leave on the plant. Do they fly? Most (though not all) foliage pest thrips do. (There are beneficial predatory thrips that eat mites and aphids, too.)