hose the plants down with water and wash those aphids right out of your hair :)

hmm..so i hosed them down. not sure i got them all because the plants are pretty big.

there seems to be a pretty resistant black variety of aphid? it has a hard shell though. the little buggers just didn't want to let loose! is this a type of aphid?

A few drops of dish soap mixed with water and sprayed on the aphids will kill them. They'll look all flat and mushy the next day as if they melted. If you're worried about leaving soap on your plants in the heat, you can always hose them down later.

the black "hard shells" may be flea beetles but can't say for sure without a photo or seeing them. The classic sign of them is so-called shotgun pellet holes in the leaves.

Here is a link that might be useful: flea beetles

it gets in the mid 90's in july and august and sometimes june. i used neem oil last year all year and never burned my foliage. i used fertilome brand and on back of bottle it said to apply when temperatures were below 85. i just waited until late evening or in morning before temperature got near 85. dont apply when there is sun on the plants, only when there shaded and apply so that it dries before temps go above 85. i had too much nitrgen in soil last year and i had alot of insect problems including aphids. i didnt add as much nitrogen fertilizer this year and i have had a third of the pest problems, no aphids, just whiteflies and caterpillars. maybe next year decrease nitrogen in soil or use low nitrogen fertilizer.

Green Lacewings.

Better at control than ladybugs. Ladybugs are good. Green Lacewings are better. I haven't seen an phid in years around here and used to get them every year.

Controling the ants is also a good idea.

i have some lacewings around...but not many. i wonder how to attract them? i'm going to have to look that up...but if you have any advice...i would really appreciate it.

no bullet holes in my leaves...i don't think they're flea beatles. i looked the black aphid thing very closely, i swear, it looks like an aphid. i wish my camera would focus on tiny things...but i don't have a lense for that kind of shot.

i asked the organic gardeners about neem and got some good advice so i'm going to use it on a cooler day.

thanks everyone,
a

Sweet alyssum, zinnia and tansy are known attractors for adults. They also need some evergreens or other growth to overwinter here but you in Calif. should have little problem in that area. Here I order a bunch every second or third season just to make sure. I used to have a huge whitefly and mite problem but not any more. Green Lacewings are great!

To get started I recommend ordering some eggs and release them. It's the larve that devour the soft bodied insects like whitefly larve, spidermites and aphids.