A: Those appear to be aphids, which have 6 legs and 2 antennae. They come in many colors, depending on their life cycle stage. Mature aphids are often yellow or light green. They suck sap from plants, but only do significant damage when in large numbers. Most often, the biggest problem that comes from aphids is the ‘sooty mold’ they leave behind. This coating left behind on leaves and stems can smother out parts of the plant, and sunlight can’t penetrate through it.

A hard blast of water from the garden hose is sometimes enough to knock them off. Insecticidal soap is effective too.

Please always read pesticide labels before application. Insecticidal soap and neem oil are safe for use on edibles, and their labels will show you how often it’s recommended to apply them and how many days up to harvest it is considered safe to use them.

And of course, always wash off items from the garden before consuming.

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