Hire a frog or toad.

Use a garden hose and spray the aphids off. I can't say much for the caterpillars except to perhaps pick them off by hand.

I've done the garden hose thing and they come back. I pick off the caterpillars but never get them all. The frogs and toads insist on union wages I can't afford.

I hear if you go to Arizona, you can get some frogs or toads that do the job much cheaper. Of course, who wants both trilling frogs, and a minature mariachi band all night. :)

There is a natural pond safe spray that will kill the bugs, for the life of me I cant remember the name, but it is made for ponds and works great

I have seen Aphid-x advertised in pond supply web sites but never tried it myself. It is derived from garlic oil. The caterpillars attacked my baby arrow head and I just picked them off but it was too late.

Fm4

Itakachuch, I am in zone 9 in Fl also. Where are you located? Glenda

Spraying with the garden hose has to be done daily and eventually they slowly go away.

Here is a portion of a ponding article on aphid control from another forum that should help.

(Aphids can easily be sprayed off of your aquatic plants with a good spray of water from the hose which will knock them off the pads of your lilies and lotus. While this method is one of the most effective you need to be diligent to keep up with it every day until you notice they are gone. The aphids will soon learn that the location they have chosen is not to their liking and they will eventually stop returning. Many of the ones you are able to spray off the pads will also drown but these critters are very light bodied and can walk on water so you will need to keep up with the spraying.
Another really effective method is by manual removal. If you have an all out infestation you can remove all the affected pads and throw them out. Your waterlily will grow back new pads and will be no worse for the ware. I would not recommend this with lotus or other aquatics however. Lotus can drown if you remove the pads prematurely or you could kill the whole plant.
Another type of manual removal is what I call the "Squish method". If you happen to be squeamish you can wear a pair of rubber or latex gloves.
The final method I use is my home made Aphid Spray. ***Warning*** Do Not spray on a windy day to avoid getting solution in your eyes and do not spray when the sun is out. The sun will magnify through the solution and burn the pads. Only spray in the early morning or at dusk.
This recipe makes one litre or two pints of solution.
Mix 1/8 cup of 10 Volume Hydrogen Peroxide, 1/8 cup of Rubbing Alcohol and 8 drops of Phosphate Free liquid dish soap. Top with water to make two pints or one litre of solution.
Fill a spray bottle with the solution and spray your affected plants until the aphids are completely drenched. Leave the solution on for 30 minutes and then rinse off thoroughly.
This solution is safe for use with fish but I would recommend removing the affected plants if possible during treatment.
The Rubbing Alcohol evaporates quickly so it will not cause any damage, The Hydrogen Peroxide will provide elevated oxygen levels in the water during treatment so it also does not cause any damage. Some dish soaps still contain Phosphates so you should check the label on your soap before using in your pond.)

Sprays of water have never worked well for me. I would try to encourage more toads and frogs if you don't have many - toads in particular will consume vast amounts of insects in your garden. Put out some toad houses. You realize you've got a biological solution happening already - ants. Remember, what kills the aphids, kills the ants. Pesticides do not discriminate.

Nancyd, good suggestion. However, the OP has already indicated that they cannot afford the wages the toads are requesting. And now you want the OP to put up "Toad Houses"? Have you seen the economy? How many more toads do we need to bail out of mortgages they can neither afford, or pay for?

No wonder our country is going down the tank....toad houses...what will they think of next.

Thanks lefd05! That's just the kind of help I am looking for. I have a degree in Zoology, so I am knowledgeable regarding critters of all kinds. I have also been an avid gardener all my life. But, when it comes to my fish I don't want to chance a disaster by depending on trial and error and my limited experience as a ponder. The advice of those whose experience is greater than mine (which is alot of people) is invaluable. Thanks everyone (including the toad jokers) for chiming in on this one. I still welcome other suggestions. BTW, I live in Clearwater, Florida.

I have hundreds of treefrogs and thousands of aphids. I've seen the frogs sitting on the infested lily pads and not paying any attention to them.

The hose method does not work for me.

I have sprayed olive oil cooking spray (Pam) and it does work. Some of the pads will be damaged though. Don't use it on water lettuce, it turns them to mush.

Let's put this "frog thing" to rest. Fact is, aphids are way too small for frogs to bother with. To get rid of the aphids we need to get rid of the ants who use the aphids to produce a treat for them called, honeydew. Treat the area for ants and the aphids will disappear. This link may be useful: http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/entomology/factsheets/gaphids.html

Secondly, a local koi dealer told me to try vinegar on the ants. Any one ever try that? I guess you need to wipe the leaves with vinegar?