As a general rule, the less soap the better. ;) For what it is worth, my recipe has ALWAYS been 1 tablespoon (or less) per gallon and that is the standard recipe that often comes up for discussion here. There is no standard recipe for making it in quarts and that is where much of the confusion comes from - that and the fact that many confuse the abbreviations for teaspoon and tablespoon. Personally, I would never use anything stronger than the 1 tablespoon per gallon as even that mixture, if applied too heavily, can easily kill plants. As to the soap - plain old Ivory, when you can get it, is good, plain blue Dawn dishwashing liquid (the original) also works with no problems. But the best, IMO is Murphy's Oil Soap simply because it also contains some oil and so sticks better. So, I have often used as little as 1/4 tablespoon of Murphy's Oil Soap in 1 gallon of water effectively. If the infestation got severe for some reason I would up it to 1/2 tablespoon but never more than 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. Then just pour it into a quart sprayer if you wish but don't mix it in the quart sprayer. As with all such sprays - never in the heat of the day, never in the direct sun, lightly mist don't drench, and aim for the bugs not the plant as a whole. ;) And, if in doubt go with a commercially prepared spray. Hope this helps. Dave

Hman is correct. Malathion is weak and breaks down fast, hence it's short PHI. I think Rutgers lists it in its homeowner recs because it's one of the handful of insecticides available to homeowners treating stone fruits. In my view this has been a legit. gripe for non-commercial growers. That is, they have such few tools available to try to grown their own fruit. Sometimes some pretty poor choices. It's a rip. According to the link from Cornell below, Malathion has a half life of 1.5 days in full sunlight. This matches my experience. I once bought a bottle of it and found it worthless. As I recall the bottle is something like 50% a.i. I've no reason to spray it and haven't touched the bottle for several years. Here is a link that might be useful: Cornell Malathion - environmental fate

Yes I am here every now and then. My concotion is simple. You have to mix 50% canola oil and 50% Ultrafine oil (horticultural oil, or volck oil) then follow the recommended ratios to control your specific pests. It is important that you mix the oil first before mixing with water for increased solubility. I found this to be more effective than the Ultrafine oil alone, and cheaper too. One pint of canola plus one pint of ultrafine makes it twice more ammunition but not twice the price. And again, just like the ultrafine oil, follow directions for citrus or specific to your plant, don't overdo it. If you overdo it on your citrus, severe leaf drop is the result especially coming towards spring.

Yes, fire does kill aphids. I doubt you'll have an issue with them on that particular plant again. However, if you actually want to keep the plants in the future... =) A good blast with the hose will knock them off, and then they can't find their way back up to the plant again and will die. Even colonies like you described can be handled effectively in this way, and it beats pesticides or destroying the plant. I've also heard of some people who buy and release ladybugs in their yard, although I haven't tried this myself. But these pests are so easily handled that a pesticide is really an unnecessary step. As you say, why risk harming the hummers (or yourself and your family/pets, for that matter!)? Incidentally, anyone know if hummers eat aphids?