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Pests #928896

Asked April 19, 2026, 7:45 PM EDT

Hello, I'm having a problem with little yellowish bugs on my plants. They look like aphids but are yellower than I've seen before and don't have black spots on them like pictures online of yellow aphids. Last year I had the exact same problem with these same bugs (that was the first year I had plants at this location) and had to throw away my plants because I couldn't get rid of them and the leaves started turning yellow. I used dish soap and neem, which kept the down, but didn't get rid of them. I've always been able to get rid of aphids with those methods before. There aren't a ton of them on the undersides of the leaves like I usually see with aphids and they move pretty fast. I did have a few houseplants out on the porch in the same spot last year that didn't get infested. Please help. I prefer organic gardening. Here are a couple pictures of the bugs on the leaves. Unfortunately I couldn't zoom in without the picture getting blurry. There's also a picture of a pansy whose leaves are starting to turn yellow. I just got the strawberry plant yesterday, put it outside, and now it has bugs. The leaves haven't turned yellow yet.

Montgomery County Ohio

Expert Response

Hello Tara! Thank you for your question regarding what certainly appears to be some sort of yellow aphid.

Unfortunately, without a much closer picture it will be impossible to identify the specific type of aphid that you are dealing with. Thankfully, organic aphid management strategies all tend to be the same so the specific species isn't really required unless you want to know what plant is drawing them to your garden. If you do, I recommend that you capture a few of them and take them to your nearest extension office to see if they can assist with identification.

So, organic management strategies:

Details Here: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/keep-aphids-under-control-low-risk-natural-strategies, https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/aphids, and https://entomology.mgcafe.uky.edu/ef103

Water

I'm sure you've heard that you can just spray them off with water from your garden hose; with a higher pressure spray nozzle that can work for small infestations but also can be difficult to do when the plant sits very close to the ground like strawberries. 

Predators

Introducing a predator species such as Green Lacewings can help as well, as can Ladybugs if they stick around (which isn't a safe assumption, they tend to fly away shortly after release). I've had some success myself with introducing Green Lacewings.

Organic Insecticidal Soap

Also an option, organic insecticidal soaps do exist. I have had success using this tactic myself as well. Reference: https://homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu/factsheets/insecticidal-soaps/

Final Notes:

It is not recommended to use dish soap, while it does work to lower the surface tension of water to the point where the water can effectively drown most insects, it can also damage the plants themselves, frequently doing more harm than the initial infestation would do.

I suspect that you already knew most of this, having dealt with in before. For any more specific recommendations you should capture some of the insects in question and contact your local extension staff: https://montgomery.osu.edu/program-areas/agriculture-and-natural-resources

John Ducat Replied April 19, 2026, 10:36 PM EDT

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