I DON"T BELIEVE IT!!!

Spray soapy water ?

yep me too Andrea, you can spray soapy water but i don't find it hugely effective to be honest, i have a 'rose clear' gun which does aphids and black spot and a few other nasty's and should last 4-6 weeks before it needs doing again. these are very effective, so if i were you i would invest in a couple as due the the mild winter i think they will be rife this year!

The professionals - who can't be squeamish - use their finger and thumb and just run their hand up the stems and SQUASH the little horrors! I don't think I could handle that (sorry about the pun!) But you may be macho and brave enough to go for it... are you?

Hi, I would use a spray gun with a home-mixed garlic-based fluid, such as garlic vinegar or oil. This works on my climbing roses and lupins. I also have Tansy (Tannacetum) in the garden, loved by ladybirds, but it is a bit of a rampant spreader. Ended up giving lots away and now keep it contained like mint. Hope this is of use/interest.

Thanks guys, I have been squishing them off the new shoots, but apparently squashing them releases a sort of chemical that attracts more of them so I'll stop that now!!
I'll steer clear of the vinegar as well because that kills weeds so I don't want to risk it on the plants so I think I'll try a mixture of liquid soap and garlic salt with some oil. I'll let you all know how it goes. I may try one plant with the conventional rose clear and another with my new spell!!

Garlic paste or cloves or the capsules, not garlic salt

No, not salt. I use the vinegar often but, I should have said, I still dilute that fairly well in water. Go work your magic!

This is going to be a very pungent garden soon, Andrea! You won't want to sit and admire your flowers.... :-(

Get back to the squishing Andrea! By squishing a few of the aphids on the infested plant they do indeed release a chemical - it is a danger signal to the others and they will drop off the plant to save themselves.

Thanks guys, I'll experiment with a few methods and let you know how it goes :)

LOL, PMSL, I imagined a load of lemming/type greenfly flinging themselves off the branches onto the soil :)

ROFL now there's an image to help get me through the day!