I've been battling thrips for over a year and lost control this summer. Then aphids and whiteflies joined the party. I purchased amblyseius cucumeris (for thrips) X3 and green lacewings (for aphids) X1 (at the same time as the third a.cucumeris purchase) but then I went away for 2 1/2 weeks. When I got home the thrips seemed to be under control but the aphids and whiteflies have now gone nuts. I decided to throw away multiple annuals and now just have those that I normally over-winter.

Would you please check out these photos and let me know what you see besides aphids and whiteflies? Do any of them look like a.cucumeris mites? If they've had multiple life cycles and are still working for me I'm hesitant to use insecticidal soap...but maybe it's a losing battle with the aphids and whiteflies and I need to? I bring all but two plants in (I live in an apartment and don't have a hose) and spray with water every few days but of course they keep coming back.

I am happy to take any suggestions, thank you!

All I see are aphids. The white things are cast off skins from nymphs changing to adults.

Concur with CalPoly, aphids and their exoskeletons.

I see four critters. Aphids, something yellow and chubby, something white and slender, and a couple blackish slender things with possibly wings. None are aphid exoskeletons, which are plentiful, but I can't ID them.

Yes, the black bugs have wings. In the bottom pic I tried to show a couple of things that look more crab-like. I thought maybe they were mites.

I thought the yellow and/or white ones might be but I don't know. I just wanted to let you know that I see several different critters, too.

Use a systemic insecticide: it will take care of whatever is feeding on your plants. If you have concerns about pollinators, cover your plants with a fine mesh for 7-10 days until the active principle has broken down.

You can use an agri mineral oil (soap is more miss than hit), but remember you need to drench every part of the plant in it: since it's inert (it kills by forming a thin film over insects, chocking them to death) it needs to cover up the insects you are trying to kill. Unless you drench a bee in it or something, it is completely harmless for them.

A word about those "biological control" you purchased: save your money next time. Plainly put these beneficial insects are not obedient little machines that will instantly set to work the moment they re set free. More often than not they just disappear in under 24 hours with no effect whatsoever, often themselves the victims of a higher level of predators (mantises, birds etc)... well, no effect apart on your wallet.
Even when they exist in nature and do their job, they often struggle to keep pest numbers under control, for the simplereason creatures like aphids evolved precisely to literally overwhelm predators through extremely high numbers and fast reproduction rates.

Aphids have a complex weird reproductive system. Part of the year they reproduce parthenogenetically, these are the wingless yellow ones. Part of the year they reproduce normally, these are the darker ones with wings. The white stuff is exoskeleton from nymphs molting. There are some black ones in the third picture on the far right side, these are parasitized mummies. A tiny wasp lays its eggs in the aphid and the larva eats the aphid from the inside, then exits through a hole in the shell of the dead aphid.

Thank you all very much for the responses, education, and advice; I truly appreciate it. I have seen one bee in 3 years in my 13th floor apartment in a city. Bee safety is a concern nonetheless. I will use an agri mineral spray.

Thank you!

Quick internet search sent me back. Please suggest specific sprays for container houseplants (flowering, herbs). I want to address while they are still outside before I bring them back in. They will be away from the plants that don't go outside but in the same room--not a lot of options in an apartment.

Also, am I correct that I should do branch and root trimming before application?

Hey Linda,

I had the same problem when I lived in an apartment and didn't have access to a hose. I found a company called The Watering Vine and they make a hose that connects to your bathroom/kitchen sink that you could use to hose down the plants and make quick work of it.

They also make a 100% cold pressed Neem solution. I've bought from them and found this one works better than the "pre mixed" sprays.

Let me know if this helps you out! Best of luck!