Aphids incl. Aphis nerii
Aphids are tiny sap taps — pear-shaped, often bright yellow or green, clustered on the newest growth of whatever you love most. Their sticky exhaust (“honeydew”) coats leaves and cars, feeds black sooty mold, and rings the dinner bell for ants, who farm them like cattle.
Signs you have them
- Clusters of tiny bugs on new stems and leaf undersides
- Sticky film on leaves or the car under a tree
- Black sooty mold on leaves; ants patrolling the plant
What you can do today, free
- Blast colonies off with a hose two mornings in a row — it genuinely works
- Don’t over-fertilize; lush new growth is aphid food
- Let ladybugs work: one larva eats hundreds
Questions, answered straight
Why do the ants matter?
Ants protect aphids from predators to keep the honeydew coming. Treating aphids without breaking the ant escort fails — our Lawn Bug Plan handles both sides of that racket.
Garden Pests 
Cicadas 
Snails & Slugs