Good for you for not using poison

Good for you for not using poisons! Yesterday I was contemplating a rosebush whose buds were covered with aphids, when I started counting the ladybugs on it. I stopped when I got to a dozen! Also, yesterday those tiny aphid eating birds showed up in our neighborhood. They come every Spring when the aphids are at their height. They are the shape of sparrows, but the size of hummingbirds. Grey, with a lighter tummy. They arrive in huge flocks - hundreds & hundreds of birds. I have their name somewhere but can't remember it right now. I can tell they are here because their call is a really high squeeky peep -- I hear that, and look around, and sure enough, there is a tree full of them. They descend on my rose bushes all at once and eat the aphids. It is a wonder to see.

So, keep up the "mechanical" aphid removal if you need to so something (I have discovered that you can flick off most of them from a bud by flicking it with your finger, but you have to be careful not to hit it too hard...

Jackie

Jacqueline3 - I did try the "flicking" one day only. After beheading Queen Elizabeth on my 3rd flick I decided I needed another approach!!

I had to hose down my roses last year because they were covered in aphids. It was almost surreal. I stopped when I started seeing little lady bug larve. I didn't want to displace them as well and let them do their job. This year, no aphids to speak of!

Another funny thing happened the other day. My husband called me come quick. There was a swarm of small flying ants coming out from between two small steps. He thought they might be termites. I didn't think so, but we were concerned. I went back a few minutes later, and there was a cute bright green lizard just munching down on all the buggies. I love it!!!!

I never bother spraying the roses for aphids because they usually get the green aphids and the House Sparrows come along and pick aphids off my roses all day long. Must be an all you can eat buffet for the birds.

I do have to use a drench once each spring on my honeysuckle vines as they get these really nasty dark grey aphids that just wreck the blooms if I leave them alone.

Good for avoiding chemicals!

I checked two of my roses today that have had some sort of tiny insect I was afraid might do damage. Today, on each one, there is now a spider guarding my teeny buds! I love it.

I was so relieved when I realized you didn't mean spraying with an insecticide! I do the same as you, squish them when there aren't lots of them and otherwise it's the hose.

Ingrid