Question
QUESTION: I have grown broccoli for many years, and the only pest I've ever dealth with is the cabbage looper moth.  This year I have something I've never seen before, and can't find in listings/pictures of broccoli pests & diseases.  It is thousands of little greenish-blackish tiny balls (for lack of a better description), mostly on the back of the leaves, but some in front.  They can be brushed off, but it is not easy, & they tend to fall on other parts of the plant.  Some are on the fronts of the leaves, though not as clustered.  And the worst is that they seem to gather in between the stems of the broccoli clusters.  They can be partly washed off before cooking, but some still appear in the waste water.  Do you know what this is?  I will take and submit a picture if this isn't ringing a bell.  I treated it with Neem, as I don't like to use harsh pesticides.  Any other suggestions would be helpful.

ANSWER: Jane,

I have two guesses. If they are soft-bodied and easy to squish they are probably aphids. However, if you have gardened for many years I'm guessing you know what an aphid looks like. If they are hard-bodied and seem to make holes in the leaves they are probably flea beetles. Take a look at this report http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1210.html for pictures.

If neither of these seems to fit (or if you don't know what aphids are) post a follow up and we can try to figure it out further.

Jack DeAngelis, PhD
Extension Entomologist (ret.)
My website about home and garden pests: http://www.livingwithbugs.com



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I have re-checked, and am pretty sure they are aphids.  They can be squished, & there are no holes in the leaves.  They are more blackish-grayish, & I'm used to aphids being green.  Also, I've never seen them anywhere besides on rose buds.  So the thought of aphids didn't occur to me.  They were so small & over so much area that I actually considered it might be a fungus of some type. However, they way they cluster in tight crowds amongst the broccoli branches is typical of how they look on rose buds.  And then there are huge clusters on the backs of some leaves.  I used what Neem I had left, and couldn't find any more when I went shopping, so bought insecticidal soap.  Is that an OK way to get rid of them?  Or is them something else you would recommend?

Answer
Insecticidal soap is a good choice. A good way to use it is first wash off as much debris as possible with the garden hose, thoroughly apply the soap solution (2%) to all surfaces, wait 30 minutes then wash off the solution. Here's an article about using insecticidal soap http://www.livingwithbugs.com/insecticidal_soap.html with a precaution about using old soaps and a "jar" test to do before using any soap.

Jack DeAngelis