Dear Donna 

To-day we noted a dense infestation of red bugs on one of our ‘pseudo sunflower plants’ – with a ‘pseudo-ant-like’ appearance.

The picture shows the poor growth with the ’enemy’.

 We can’t identify [the pest], but applied [a] soapy solution to it an hour ago.

Please identify it for us, and a possible treatment – even if it is to garbage this plant. Jack

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Hi Jack

I know it seems amazing but you have aphids. These red aphids can be sprayed off as you suggested but always look first because sometimes there are also good guys hanging around the aphids and the soap could injure the good bugs too.

A lady I met recently was squishing the little green worms she found on her aphid-filled lavender so I asked “what are you doing?” and I told her “You are killing a beneficial bug!” Then I found this this amazingly all-inclusive aphid predator video from the University of California –

The syrphid wasp larva shown in this video is brown but in Canada we often have very green syrphid wasp larvae and they make a distinctive flipping movement so sometimes you see the movement before you see the bug.

Jack- you could use a strong spray of water to break the aphid beak (its mouth) and not kill or damage the good bugs. An aphid without a beak is not dead but can’t eat so it will slowly die…. DB

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Thanks Donna

This morning – we appear to have short circuited the red aphids progress .

The Coroner’s report – they died of ‘un-natural causes’ – using their jargon, and a surfeit of water.

Jack