PK-L07 · Yard, turf, and garden pests

How to get rid of aphids

Aphididae

Also called: plant lice (folk)

Aphids are soft-bodied sap suckers that cluster on new growth and excrete honeydew that grows sooty mold and feeds ants. A blast of water, encouraging lady beetles, and soap sprays labeled for ornamentals handle most home infestations. Broad-spectrum sprays that kill the predators create a rebound. Ants farming aphids on a foundation hedge are why your Argentine ant page and this page meet. They are not scale (which are often sessile and armored).

Aphid (Aphididae) — identification photo
Identification photo of Aphid (Aphididae). Use this with the notes below — size, color, and markings matter more than a single photo, and look-alikes are listed in the sidebar.

How to identify Aphid

  • Pear-shaped, cornicles on the abdomen, clusters on stems, winged forms when crowded.
  • Sticky honeydew, ants trailing on the plant, sooty mold.

Signs of an infestation

  • Curled new leaves. Sticky windshield under a tree.
  • Lady beetle larvae in the colony if you are lucky.

Biology and why they show up

Explosive parthenogenesis in warm weather. Host-specific species exist — rose aphids are not a reason to spray the whole property. Indoor aphids on houseplants are a quarantine-the-plant job.

Health and property risk

Plant stress, virus transmission on some crops, honeydew mess. Not a human biter. Insecticide rebound of pests is the main “risk” of bad control.

Proven control sequence

Work in this order. Skipping inspection or exclusion is why most “treatments” bounce back in a week.

  1. Water blast and wait for predators. On sturdy plants. Look for lady beetles and hover flies before you spray.
  2. Insecticidal soap as labeled. Coverage matters. Test a leaf. Repeat as the label allows. Soaps are still pesticides — keep off blooms if the label says so.
  3. Manage ants if they are farming the colony. See Argentine and odorous house ant pages. Ant control plus aphid control beat either alone on a hedge.

Prevention that actually sticks

  • Do not over-nitrogen a hedge into candy.
  • Inspect new nursery plants.

When to hire a licensed professional

Orchards and greenhouses. Home roses: usually soap and patience.

Legal and safety notes. Systemic neonics on blooming plants: pollinator language is not optional. Follow labels. Indoor: no outdoor concentrates.

United States and Tier 1 notes

Global. Species names change with the plant. UC IPM and other extensions have crop-specific pages worth more than a generic spray.

Common questions

Will dish soap in a spray bottle work?

Dish soap can burn plants and is not the same as labeled insecticidal soap. Use a product labeled for the site or a hose blast.

Sources

Written by the Pest Kill Editorial Team. Published August 25, 2026. Last reviewed September 13, 2026.