Lady bugs will eat them, particularly the little gray and orange alligator-shaped lady bug larvae. Other beneficial insects will eat them as well, including green lacewings, the larvae of brachonid wasps and other small predatory wasps and hoverfly larvae.

Hosing them off works as well as anything else, although in terms of disease prevention, spraying water on the tomato foliage is something I don't like to do either.

You can spray the aphids with insecticidal soap or neem oil, following label directions and avoiding spraying on a day when the temperatures are extremely warm.

You can put on disposable gloves and squish them between your fingers but I know I do not have the time or patience to do that.