I spent a solid month trying to get rid of them from my balcony tomatoes, trying everything from soapy water to ladybugs I ordered online. The ladybugs just flew away immediately, which was a total waste of $25. Anyone have a better pest trick that actually works up high?
Neem oil spray worked for me after ladybugs failed. Mix it with a little dish soap so it sticks to the leaves, and you have to spray under them every few days. It doesn't kill on contact but messes up their life cycle, so they stop breeding.
Tried neem oil last year on my squash plants. The aphids were everywhere. I mixed it exactly like you said, with a drop of dish soap in a spray bottle. It took about a week of spraying every other day, but they finally cleared out. The leaves looked a bit shiny after, but no more bugs.