I think their aphids as well, i had combination of aphids +ants last year.
used ashes to get red of ants, garlic spray for aphids.
garlic spray didn't work,but to be fair didn't make the garlic spray correctly, so i used as well, dish soap+water which worked really fast,
but i think i added too much soap which made all leaves fall off,i guess i should have cleaned the plant from soap after with spraying water.
but the plant recovered.
Summary:so use 2 tablespoons liquid dish soap into 1 gallon water, then spray the whole plant. wait a bit, then clean it with water. i wouldn't use cockroach spray, i think its unsafe for the plant. Hope this helps , aphids suck.
I bought a spray that is supposed to be safe for vegetable plants. The active ingredient is listed as" potassium salts of fatty acids."
When I got home, the situation wasn't worse than last night—I only saw a few aphids crawling around. I squished them. I then gave all the plants a very good soaking, making sure to get the front and backs of all the leaves, as well as the top of the soil and the sides of the pots.
A funny side story:
I went to the basement to throw out some garbage, and I saw the infested plant that I threw out last night, sitting in a common area. The super does this with thrown out items that he thinks other tenants would want. I knocked on his door and let him know that it was infested and he should throw it out!
I'm going to soak the plants for at least 2 more days, whether or not I see any more aphids or eggs.
Thanks again for all the identification and advice.
Must shake it up often as the oil separates as you spray.
Go to U.C. Davis website for Canola oil tests on different bad guys.
They had a list of comparison tests for different oils,Canola was , in general the best...
Also watch out what dish soap you use.
De greaser,purfumes etc. KILL plants!
Also I use Terro ant killer/bait to kill ants that raise Aphids underground on roots for the sugar liquid they produce.
Ants liked the Terro brand better than the other Boric acid stuff sold by other companies.