You might be able to capture some of the ladybugs and take them in there. Since it will be warmer inside the GH they might go ahead and eat them. There's always hand picking, messy but satisfying. I use an old cloth diaper to wipe down both sides of the leaf at the same time. I also saw a solution in another forum that worked for me. Take a metal bucket or large coffee can and stuff it with oak leaves and place it in the center of the floor of your GH. Set them on fire and let them smoulder until they are all ashes. The smoke kills the aphids. Now my GH is only 10' x 12' so a reletively small pan of leaves generated enough smoke to kill them all. It did work, but I had to treat them twice. Unfortunately it didn't kill the white flies and I have continued to battle those little satan's spawn all summer. Cheryl

Karyn you will get over that hurdle too! Just take it easy with your health!!! When it comes to pests, I am really no good in giving advice. Since all I do so far is hosing the plants down.

good luck
Lucy

They suck don't they? I have them too. I would love suggestions to get rid of them too. I can't try the burning leaves thing because mine are in my basement.

I have a warped mind. I saw the subject line and started laughing. I'm glad your brugs have aphids --- and not you. :)

Have you tried hot pepper wax spray?

There are a lot of sources. I'm linking one with a description.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hot Pepper Wax

Hi Karyn, I had an infestation of them in early spring. They were all over every rose of sharon in my yard. Both single and double flowering ones. I cut off the tips where they were the most, but what really worked was the neem oil. I never did see aphids the rest of the summer. I did cut off some of the most infested parts.

However, I may not have diluted it enough in one batch that I used on my two double pink (rose of sharons), as it caused damage on it's leaves, which neem oil is not known to do. My double purple, my single whites and my pinkish light purple single all did fine.

Hope you have it around - Sandy

The smoldering oak leaves sound interesting. I'll try that. I've tried the other methods mentioned with less then satisfactory results. I haven't tried pepper wax, just pepper liquids and powders but would be hesitant to spray all the foliage with paraffin. I can understand using wax on fruits and veggies but I'm not sure how it might affect the foliage and immature stems. Thanks for the tips. I HATE THE COLD!!!!!!!!

Soapy water works well but can be a pita for a bunch of plants. I'd blast them then turn on the heat til the plants dry out a little, lol.

Soapy water with a bit of isopropal alcohol is what I usually use but that means washing each plant by hand and there's a bunch of branches that I can't reach. I should just break down and set off some kind of bomb but I can't bring myself to do it. I'm usually not dealing with this until early Jan most years. I need a new hobby or a new zone!

What a PITA Karyn! Can't you hire your kids to wash each plant for you, or do they have better things to do, like play, LOL! Hope you can find a quick and good solution that won't require you to do all the work as you need to take it easy.

Karyn, there is lots of space in MY zone, and you are certainly welcome to join us here. However, unfortunately we've got aphids as well!
As for a new hobby: --where would you find one that brings that much joy as our Angels?

Ingrid.

When I took my master gardener's class 30 yrs ago - there was a neat section that we studied, called IPM- Integrated Pest Management- great interesting ways to repel & eliminate pests the organic way- I came across some info just now for aphids-

INSECTS IN THE GARDEN
APHIDS:
To keep aphids and other pests off your roses: Finely chop
1 onion
2 medium cloves of garlic
Put ingredients into a blender with 2 cups of water and blend on high. Strain out pulp. Pour liquid into spray bottle. Spray a fine mist on rose bushes, making sure to coat both tops and bottoms of leaves.

ALUMINUM FOIL "FOILS" APHIDS
Use an aluminum foil much around the base of plants such as tomatoes. The reflection confuses the insects and drives them away."
That's what I just did this morning in my basement- lined all my shelves under my grow lights with aluminium foil- I'll let you know how it works!
kasha77
{{gwi:578167}}

Kasha now that is SO organic, I would even try THAT :-)

thanks
Lucy

I don't know about the onion thing- I'd be crying through the whole process- I like the hot pepper wax spray- if I had a greenhouse that's what I'd do!
We're rooting for you Karyn!
kasha77

You might also like to try yellow sticky traps-
http://www.ghorganics.com/StickyTrap.html
Good Luck!
kasha77

Ingrid I'd love to be in So CA for the winter. One of my favorite places is the La Jolla area. Temps are just so nice year round there, not too hot in the summer and nice winters.

Kasha thanks for those tips. Will the onion mix kill existing aphids? The foil sounds interesting. I'll definitely try that with anything I keep on the light carts inside. The sticky traps don't do anything for aphids but are good for gnats/flies. I have those and regular fly paper that you hange from the ceiling all over the place. It is pretty tacky looking. lol I tried making my own yellow sticky paper with yellow cardstock and vaseline. It worked ok. Not as well as the kind you buy but will do in a pinch. I can't always find the yellow sticky cards.

Karyn-
I found this link- wow- pretty informative- lots of info there - http://www.ghorganics.com/page9.html#Aphids:- go to this link for the rest of info on "Treatments"
Aphids:
"For aphid control we carry: 1600 X-Clude, Diatomaceous Earth, Garden Dust Insecticide/Fungicide,

Ants "farm" aphids often keeping them in their nest during winter, then bringing them out in spring and placing them on the host plant. The ants eat the honeydew the aphids produce and move them from plant to plant spreading any diseases that are present. The honeydew favors formation of a black fungus known as "sooty mold." Control of the ants may often solve the aphid problem. Aphids abound in warm moist environments and will attack almost anything, favoring succulent new growth.
Predators: Green lacewings, ladybugs and their respective larvae have a voracious appetite for aphids. Larvae from the syrphid fly also consume aphids. Hover flies and praying mantis feed on aphids.
Repellent plants: Anise, chives, coriander (cilantro), garlic, onions, petunias and radish. Nasturtiums act as a trap crop. Aphids definitely prefer yellow flowers.

Squashing a few aphids around the infested plants releases a chemical signal that makes the other aphids drop from the plants and leave.
To foil aphids: flatten a square of aluminum foil around the base of plants to bounce light on the undersides of leaves. This also helps the plants in giving them more light.
Try a barrier of powdered charcoal, calcium dust or bonemeal to keep them away from your plants.
Stinging Nettle Spray: Aphids & Thrips - Cover 1 quart nettles with water, cover and ferment for 3 weeks. Mix 1 part nettle tea with 7 parts water. Spray.
Spread out a barrier of tansy around the base of the plant to stop those ants.
Use a spray made from a tea of tomato or potato leaves and water.
Chop 12 or so tomato leaves and 1 chopped onion in 1/2 cup of of 70% isopropyl alcohol for a few minutes. Apply the mixture directly on aphids with a cue tip or paintbrush.
A forceful spray of water is often enough to knock the aphids off the plant and may discourage the ants, well sometimes.
Put a bright yellow plastic pan in a strategic spot in the garden. Fill it a third of the way full with water. Aphids are drawn to the yellow color, land on the water, sink and drown.
A soap spray can be used to strip them of their protective wax coating, dehydrating them. Mix 1 tablespoon of Castile soap to 1 gallon of water, spray.
Garlic oil spray can kill aphids and other soft bodied pests.
A dusting of diatomaceous earth is lethal to aphids. Wear a mask when using DE.
Teas made from elderberry or rhubarb leaves can act as a deterrent. Oxalic acid is the compound present in these plants that makes a spray effective. It is poisonous.
Place banana peels at the base of infested plant. The peels give them a shot of potassium too!
Also See: Treatments: Horseradish, elderberry and yarrow tea.
For wooly aphids on apple trees: grow the trailing type nasturtiums training them to wrap up and around the tree trunk to ward off these pests. Very attractive too! Note: nasturtiums will specifically attract the black aphid while repelling others." For what it's worth- hope this helps!
kasha77

We used to order ladybugs and they did the trick. But if you are indoors, that would probably not be a good option.

OK, I'll admit it...my first impulse was to make a smart alecky remark to the effect of you win the prize for being 1st, now you get to keep them. But then I remembered the misery these pests cause and that your recovering your health is challenge enough right now so will only hope some of the interesting and informative strategies shared here will be helpful.
Will