I agree with Ken. I have bought beautiful large hanging mini petunia baskets from the same place several years, but this is the first year I noticed they just did not take off and thrive as my porch is usually the perfect mix of moisture/sun and with regular feeding they just take off and stay happy! I will never again walk out of the nursery without checking because they are rather pricey, so it isn't just the "bargain" baskets we need to check. Unfortunately also, I had to go out of town shortly after bringing them home and my neighbor who watered for me now says she saw them but didn't think to say anything to me. I called the nursery to confirm my memory that dish soap and water was still a good treatment, but had not heard the mouthwash ingredient. Mine are pretty sick puppies right now, but after treating 2 days in a row, I may need to add the mouthwash because the little suckers seems to be just hanging on. Thanks for the info everyone!

They may be springtails. Are they nearly invisible until you water, and then they start hopping around? If so, they like medium that is starting to break down. You might try a tablespoon of liquid soap like dishwashing liquid in a gallon of water and hit them with that two or three times. Once they're eradicated you should consider repotting.

I also spray it with one of the following, not all of them AT THE SAME TIME. Saffer's soap, soap and water with greese in it. Neem oil, Windex, alconol diluted spray, Amways soap with coconut, hair shampoo with coconut oil. ( Yardley's), any brand of Cactus pest spray. Use a new clean pot. Do NOT use Peat Moss in the soil. Make sure the plant is getting plenty of air circulation. My hand hurts so can't make corrections. Remove all dead leaves first. Norma

Well, you could try getting some entomopathogenic nematodes off a site...they'll kill most of the bad critters in your soil, and since they are all natural, you won't have to worry about messing with chemicals or killing off any good bugs (or anything else). There might be other beneficial predators you can introduce around your plant, so that is definitely worth looking into. A chemical option would most likely involve a systemic pesticide, which kills anything that bites into the plant. Some of these can be dangerous if inhaled or if you get it in your eyes or skin, so be careful if you go that route. In the end, I would google "root aphid treatment" and see which options you can take to treat the infestation. Steve