They come in green, red, brown, orange and black varieties. Aphids concentrate on plants with soft tissues and on new shoots and leaves of many trees. Some aphids will curl leaves over to make a protective home for themselves. One of the best aphid controls is a good hosing of the affected plants using a strong spray of water. The commercial soap preparations are highly effective as are the botanical synthetic insecticides available for aphid control.
Caterpillars can do great damage to the garden but there is hope.
B.T. or Bacillus thuringiensis , has proven very effective on feeding caterpillars. It is a bacteria that, once eaten, paralyzes the caterpillar's stomach and causes starvation. B.T. has no negative effect on people, birds, pets and other living things. Mites can be a problem in our climate. If you catch an outbreak early, you may be able to control with a strong spray of water repeated several times over the period of a week.