Suddenly, aphids. Thousands of them!

[Crundy]

(Repost because I'm a moron and didn't spot the "this isn't a questions board" sticky in the other forum)

Damnit! I checked on my windowsill Mild Habanero chilli this morning and out of nowhere it's suddenly infested with aphids. Same problem I had last year with my Scotch Bonnet. Ordinarily I'd take it outside and wash it down then let the cavalry arrive, but it's started to get a bit too cold and my Scotch Bonnet died last year from this.

I also tried spraying last year's with soap solution, but it didn't kill the aphids and made the chillis taste nasty. I went on a ladybird hunt in the garden this morning to bring a few inside, but they all seem to have deserted me. Is there anything else to try?

[cupcake]

I have been known to put a plant in the bath and then use the shower head to get them off!

[Crundy]

Saves taking them outside I suppose. Might give that a try.

A colleague says she has tons of ladybirds in her garden, so I've asked her to box up a load for me

[ginger ninger]

I had this problem in the garden earlier on in the year, but it was black fly...there were millions of the dam things. I don't like to spray, so all I could do was squish as many as I could. Then the ladybirds and lace wings took over from me and got all nice and fat. I now have a bug eating army in the garden.
I've got a mega problem with green caterpillars now , I've squished lots of them this morning, I also feed them to the big spiders

[cupcake]

We used to have a common garden spider who bulit (?) a web in the top corner of our patio windows and the boys used to feed him flies caterpillars etc. He got so big they called him Godzilla!

[Two_Sheds]

A colleague says she has tons of ladybirds in her garden, so I've asked her to box up a load for me

It won't work: I've tried it. The reason is because they are territorial: if they scent another ladybird on a plant, they fly off again.

It's better to put the larvae on your infested plants: they don't have wings

I have loads of greenfly nymphs on my indoor plants too: esp. the African violet

[rustylady]

Wash them off or squish them. Importing ladybirds especially indoors simply won't work.

[Crundy]

Nadgers. What about just dumping one on the plant instead of a load?

[rustylady]

Nadgers. What about just dumping one on the plant instead of a load?

As I said before, wash the aphids off or squish them.