Beginner Gardening: ladybug help needed, 1 by podster

podster wrote:
Janet ~ the Senecio you sent was sitting in the window by the computer and every time I looked at it I was seeing black specks. I would brush them off thinking it was soil that spattered on the leaves. One morning, when I was more lucid, I noticed the spots were mainly on the new growth. Guess what I had? Aphids! Being a smaller plant, I kept them rubbed off with my fingers.
I have noticed some years are worse for one bug (and weed) than other years. Three years ago the aphids stayed mainly on the new growth on my Hoya plants. As the bees stayed around the blooms too, I didn't want to spray so tried to keep them rubbed off. It was a morning/evening effort but did work.
I hope this isn't an omen for the gardening year ahead... pod