Purple-spotted lily aphids. HELP!!

[MaryMary]

I found them yesterday and sprayed them off the lilies with soapy water. Some of them are back today. (I may have missed a few.) I've had a quick look around the web, and all I've found are chemical solutions, which I'm not really interested in. What now? Continue with soapy water?

It was a large amount of them. I don't really inspect the flowers for insects, I just sort of let what happens happen. But these I could see in colonies from 2-3' away. Some of the leaves are spotty looking now, discolored.

Also, there are a couple black ants climbing up and down the lilies today. I watched one inspect a leaf and then drop down to the next leaf under it. Think they're farming the aphids??


Picture is not mine, I took it from an image search.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Chuck]

Try a spinosad based insecticide. Organic and harmless to pets and people

 

[MaryMary]

Thanks, @Chuck!! I'll get some today.

Follow package instructions, or anything else I need to know?

 

[Chuck]

Thanks, @Chuck!! I'll get some today.

Follow package instructions, or anything else I need to know?

Get the concentrate. It's much cheaper in the long run. It works on just about everything you will encounter in the garden.