You sure its aphids and not scale, or both? Either way, if you can't spray, then it has to just cope with it - you may find the leaves drop off, but it shouldn't kill the whole tree. You could try blasting them with a hosepipe to try to wash some off.

Gosh, yes, what a disaster. Agree with Bamboo, but just an idea...wondering if you could buy some ladybirds online and introduce them to a fine meal?

you can get them hose adapters that are like a spray gun and you can poor washing up liquid in it . its naturaly drawn up with the water from the tap and should reach most of if not all your tree .

or spray what you can reach with a systemic insecticide. the chemical will then be moved around the whole tree. This will then get the little blighters as they feed further up.

I like those ideas! Nosey, do you mean like a miracle grow feeder? I cant think what else draws up anything with tap water...

yes that kind of thing cottage

:) thanks

your welcome mix my idea with seaburngirl you will have a result

Do you know NP ...if Ecover washing up liquid works on aphids. I use Ecover because I have a septic tank (and i also think harmful chemicals should be banned from the market) and I noticed a few visitors on one of my roses today. I squished them manually...but in case it gets bad?

so do I cottage I live with snails , slugs etc . if plants get munched they don't get bought again .

Karen - I hate to say it but Ecover still contains some (synthetic) detergent, it's not as bad as some brands though - and they do use mostly natural products.
On the rare occasions that I wage war on greenfly I use 100% liquid soap (because I buy liquid Castille soap anyway) the other option is 100% soap flakes (Waitrose and, sometimes, Wilko) dissolved in warm water. Add a glut of vegetable cooking oil and spray on leaves - the mixture sticks to the greenfly etc. and kills them (scientific opinion not decided whether they die from dehydration or suffocation)
The disadvantage is that you will almost certainly have to treat more than once as new eggs hatch (which slightly supports the suffocation side of the argument).
I'm trying not to spray the rose by my front door as last year I noticed the were swarms of ladybirds (courtesy of the Council's sycamore tree). When I dismantled the for sale sign, there were over 20-30 ladybirds inbetween the boards - not quite hibernating because they had dispersed by the time I got a camera.

Darn..we have neither Waitrose nor Wilko here. I shall have a good look at the soap section in Tesco and Sainsbury and see what I can find. I have Rose Clear which I shall probably use up.