Water works as well as anything. Are you able to hose down your plants with a strong stream of water? That along with some daily hands-on squishing or rubbing off should keep things under control if not eliminate the problem entirely. I just personally have issues using a lot of insecticides on plants I intend to eat :-)

And be sure not to over-fertilize....a lot of vigorous, fertilizer-induced growth is very attractive to aphids. I prefer to run a little lean.

I agree with gardengal; skip the poisons and go to water. If you can get rid of the first and second flush of aphids - before they lay eggs - usually helps the situation for the rest of the year.

Also, your spraying insecticides will only keep away any beneficials that might want to help.

Aphids don't lay eggs during the growing season. At that time of year, they bear live young -- one every 20 minutes!

To keep ahead of aphids you must have healthy plants in good condition, then you must check every day. Missing just one aphid with the water spray,or pesticide, can be the reason you have a new herd by the net day.

I appreciate the suggestions but I think you guys haven't seen my location or experienced my aphids. When I pulled my cilantro out last year I couldn't count the number on a single stalk. Pepper leaves had hundreds. I think I have eggs everywhere as they started appearing even as I started seeds in peat pellets indoors.

I don't have running water outside nor do I get beneficial insects naturally. I'm on a 20th-floor balcony surrounded by parking lots, highways, and other buildings. I strongly suspect the only way a ladybug ends up here is if they get blown up by the wind. I'm not totally opposed to trying to release a limited quantity but from what I've read the effectiveness of that is limited.

As for spraying, I've tried using a hand sprayer up close for the same effect without much luck. I just have too many and so they reproduce faster than I can kill them.

I don't *think* I'm over-fertilizing, but not sure I'd know. I mix osmocote and some compost in the potting mix and then start applying a liquid fertilizer (like a 3-2-2) weekly mid-season. I had an analysis of my mix done at the start of last season and my nitrogen was pretty low and I have high PH due to alkaline water supply.

ck, what kind of eggs? I'm not at all sure that you've been seeing aphid eggs. Maybe something that will eat the aphids.

Please don't purchase ladybugs to solve your aphid problem. Some irresponsible companies are still using the Asian ladybug for their mail order businesses, an invasive insect now classified as a household pest and a threat to native species.

They will also flee your balcony plants within moments of release.

Speaking on behalf of your neighbors, please do not use the chemicals! They are truly hazardous, and not just to the bees.

Cutting back on the fertilizer might help reduce your aphid load. And spraying with something stronger than a hand sprayer might be more effective, if it's possible given your location.