Bayer Provado Bug Killer at a spray strength formulation will do it - don't spray while the flowers are present though,wait for berries to start forming, and don't use this product on edible crops such as apple trees.

Genuine question, not a dig, but why can't you spray when flowers are present?
Surely, if you wait until berries form, the woolly aphid will have had months to do whatever damage it does.

Anyway, the stuff is useless. My blackfly are thriving after numerous sprays of this contact and systemic product. I'll use it for another few weeks just to prove a little experiment i'm trying, before i write to Bayer asking for my money back.
I'll then start with the Decis protech. You can use that on apple trees if you want, most fruit and loads of other edible crops. This stuff does work.

Because the spray is harmful to bees, Scrumpy, so once the flowers no longer have pollen, they won't be visiting any more. Or it can be used before the flowers appear.

Ok, same as all other insecticides then.

Is this not overcome by spraying late evening when the bees are no longer active? They only kill bees by direct contact I believe, so if there aren't any on the plant at the time of spraying then there can be no problem.

The problem with aphids, and other plant nasties, is that they tend to appear in abundance when plants are in flower, so really there is no choice but to spray open flowers. As i said, I wait until the evening and judging by last years plague of hover flies I had all summer, and the numerous bees who seemed to enjoy chasing off the hover flies so that they could get their bit of pollen first, they weren't affected by the various sprays I used all the time on a regular basis.

The trouble with thiaproclid and imidproclid is that its not just dangerous while its wet, like Roseclear, for instance, its effects will linger within the nectaries of the flower.

Interesting, part of my experiment involves imidacloprid, to give it it's proper name.
I've used that as Intercept 70WG for over 10 years, except this year as i'd run out of it and before spending £150 on a new supply, wanted to see how my plants did without it.
Now if as you say imidacloprid has residual effects in the nectaries of the flower, how come it seems to have no effect on all the insects that feed on my plants when the idea of intercept is that the plant absorbs the chemical through it's root system, spreading to the whole plant, thus exerting it's effect?

I will check out your claims made before replying anymore.
You know i'll be asking for the evidence to back up your statement.

And you know I won't respond - your tone is unacceptable. Shame, because I like a good argument and I like to learn more, but there you go, we're all imperfect I guess.

To go back to the original question, any water based insecticide will not be really effective as the insect is covered in a wax (the woolly bit) which is impervious to water. I used a horticultural soap based one which washed off the wax and the insect dies of dehydration if not the insecticide. This is definitely more friendly to bees.
If there are only a few you can wash them off with soap or touch each one with a bit of methylated spirits.

"And you know I won't respond - your tone is unacceptable. Shame, because I like a good argument and I like to learn more, but there you go, we're all imperfect I guess"

So I guess that's someone else making statements that aren't true.