[hubballi]

I am playing around with natural ways of deterring whitefly and other aphids with little success so far. I have tried garlic water (which works on stopping slugs eating my hostas). For instance, I found them all over my Amsterdam carrots at the base of the soil so hard to get rid of. Sprayed with garlic water, chopped mint (pond and edible),chopped garlic chives but still they stay. I don't know if its better to prevent before they arrive but yesterday I did this:

Found all my salad leaves in box twisted and spindly because being sucked by aphids. I uprooted them all carefully, rinsed under gentle shower taking off all aphids and soil. Replanted them all in pots in greenhouse. Added chopped mint and garlic chives and covered with white garden fleece. Low and beh old next day they had aphids and white fly on them. How on earth did they get in let alone not get put off by the smell?

Any other tips people find successfull ?

[Beetroot queen]

Doesnt count as natural but after spraying my french beans with a weak soap solution no aphids have been seen since. After discussing aphids on here i decided i wash my dishes in it so it was an ok solution to use. I have been pleased with the results and seen as its not in bean mode yet the soapy spray has and will not touch the beans.

[Aunt Sally]

I use yellow sticky traps in the greenhouse.

[Jonajo]

Doesnt count as natural but after spraying my french beans with a weak soap solution no aphids have been seen since. After discussing aphids on here i decided i wash my dishes in it so it was an ok solution to use. I have been pleased with the results and seen as its not in bean mode yet the soapy spray has and will not touch the beans.

Same here. Works a treat.

[hubballi]

I did consider st icky traps but don't want to trap other insects. Will try soap though. Thankyou.

[compostqueen]

I don't use the yellow sticky traps either as they're too indiscriminate and end up with bees stuck to them or hoverflies, which is the last thing we want 

[wil4025]

I big blast from hose and then a anti big solution.

[Aunt Sally]

I don't seem to get bees in the greenhouse.

[compostqueen]

I gave my chillies a damned good wash the other day only to find them covered in aphids again the following morning 

I get bees in my greenhouse Aunt Sal. I encourage them in there with all the flowers that are growing in there, along with the toms and chillies etc   I need hoverflies! Not seen one this year, despite all the flowers 

[pigguns]

I sprayed my flowering painted-lady runners with a handwash solution as they were getting blackfly, but got some splashback in my eye  dangerous stuff this gardening lark   
Not tried it before, will report back.

[mjpalin]

I'm in the weak washing up solution camp.. and seeing this thread reminded me I was meant to spray the runners tonight (and completely forgot) as spotted loads of black fly when I was weeding this morning. 

[Grubbypaws]

 Weak washing up liquid for me too. My Pak Choi are sparkling 

[allotmentann]

The longer term solution is to make your garden as wildlife friendly as you possibly can. You need to encourage in the insects that eat aphids (and other pests), hedghogs and birds etc. so that nature can work its own magic. Grow plants and flowers that attract beneficial insects and give them time to do their work.

I have a beautiful philadelphus in my garden and I noticed a month ago that it was being smothered in blackfly. I left it alone for a week or so (mainly because I have just not had time) and there is not a sign of blackfly now. The shrub looks beautiful.

I have been working really hard to try and restore balance to my garden and I can see that it is starting to pay off. Plants that attract parasitic wasps and hoverflies are especially good as they eat aphids, so things like limnanthes (I know you are not having much success with those), umbilliferous plants - let your parsley flower in the second year.
Have water around, even if it is just in the form of a bird bath. Leave little piles of twigs and prunings where you can. The more beneficial insects and creatures you encourage in, the more likely it is that you will have the right predator around for whatever pests turn up. 

[hubballi]

The longer term solution is to make your garden as wildlife friendly as you possibly can. You need to encourage in the insects that eat aphids (and other pests), hedghogs and birds etc. so that nature can work its own magic. Grow plants and flowers that attract beneficial insects and give them time to do their work.

I have a beautiful philadelphus in my garden and I noticed a month ago that it was being smothered in blackfly. I left it alone for a week or so (mainly because I have just not had time) and there is not a sign of blackfly now. The shrub looks beautiful.

I have been working really hard to try and restore balance to my garden and I can see that it is starting to pay off. Plants that attract parasitic wasps and hoverflies are especially good as they eat aphids, so things like limnanthes (I know you are not having much success with those), umbilliferous plants - let your parsley flower in the second year.
Have water around, even if it is just in the form of a bird bath. Leave little piles of twigs and prunings where you can. The more beneficial insects and creatures you encourage in, the more likely it is that you will have the right predator around for whatever pests turn up. 

Yes, I do the wildlife gardening for sure. Pond, piles of logs, plants that attract hoverflies and bees (loads this year) so I am on the right track. Tons of frogs too but they do eat hoverflies :-(  not as many slugs as last year as I used nemotodes but perhaps the frogs are helping clear them at night as they tend (the frogs) to travel around it at night. Those long spindly harvestmen that start to be seen around this time are wonderful. I have gone out at night and found one with a small slug in it's jaws so they do a good job too.

I am getting there and love seeing the wildlife but no hedgehogs as it's walled. One thing though, hardly seen any butterflies and not one single ladybird this year.

[shoozie]

Great points made there Ann.  In terms of white fly, I'm a big fan of Tagetes both in the greenhouse and outside dotted around.  I read Spana last year saying to put stems of mint onto the floor of the greenhouse regularly and tread on them - smelled wonderful to me, and certainly we didn't have aphids inside.  Doing this along with the usual Tagetes just inside the door seems a nice combination. Of course, that might all be down to luck, but I'm not a fan of sticky traps as I hope that by letting the insects higher up the insect food chain live, hopefully things find a balance.

I've not seen any ladybirds either Hubb, and very few butterflies