Thanks, Tapla. I am puzzled that there are none in the soil, but many on leaves and stems. I also detected some egg-mound-like formations on the undersides of leaves. Given that none of the treatments I listed above worked, I have resorted to rinsing.

Forgive me for getting my wires crossed. For some reason, I thought your post described the pests as being denizens of the soil as opposed to living on the plant's above ground parts.

Does anything here https://balconygardenweb.com/tiny-white-bugs-on-plants-that-look-like-dust/ look familiar?

Al

Interesting link indeed. One of the pictures contains the things I see on my leaves. I have indicated them in red rectangles in the enclosed picture. They are immature Aphids. The leaves on my plant do not have a single adult aphid, which I would have recognized. They all look like the immature ones enclosed in red boxes. Thanks for the link. I know what to do next.

What you see in the red boxes are cast (shed) exoskeletons of aphids, which usually shed their "skins" 4 times as they move through the instar stages of nymph development. They were the first thing that came to mind, but I discounted using that as an ID because you said they jump ..... and of course, dead skin can't do that. I'm thinking how you treat the plant would depend on whether you're growing it as an edible or for another reason.

If you decide to use a dishsoap solution, you should know that it will harm the waxy leaf cuticle that serves as a sunscreen and to limit evaporative water loss, insect herbivory, and entry of disease pathogens. If you use any type of surfactant, it should be insecticidal soap, which is based on long-chain fatty acids of potassium and formulated to be as safe as possible for plants. Still, not all plants tolerate it w/o complaint, so try it on part of the plant before going all in.

Is it being grown as an edible, and what is your plan for remediation?

Al

Thanks for the insights. The plant is not for human consumption. I will try insecticidal soap. Will post back when the results are available.

If not for consumption, periodic spraying or use of a soil drench that contains 1.47% imidacloprid will do a stellar job at keeping all insects (other than mites) with rasping/sucking mouth parts under control.

If you can still spray plants outdoors and leave them outdoors until the spray dries, use this: Bayer 3-in-1 for Insects Disease and Mitesand follow directions on packaging. If you are unable to spray outdoors and allow the spray to dry, use any soil drench product that contains 1.47% imidacloprid. Example:

Use 2 teaspoons or 1 tablespoon of the soil drench in a quart or liter of distilled water + 2 teaspoons of white vinegar. Imidacloprid is susceptible to alkaline hydrolysis when mixed into water with a pH above 7.0. Alkaline hydrolysis breaks the bonds of large molecules with insecticidal properties into smaller molecules that have little or no effect as an insecticide. In either case, I usually use 2 treatments at a 2 week interval, then as required. A proportionate amount of vinegar should be added to distilled water for either product.

Al

Sounds good. Thanks for detailed guidance.