If I miss the first incursion, the aphids happily reproduce and *voilà * an infestation
My tomatoes, peppers, and lemon verbena in particular are vulnerable.
...I have found that when I see ants or a few aphids, a cup of sudsy water does wonders. What I do is dip my fingers in the water, then gently run them over the growing tips and emerging buds where aphids typically congregate. Sometimes the number of aphids that come away stuck to my fingers can be staggering.
Good for hurriedly reducing the aphid pressure, and initial local infestations can be dealt with this way, too -- dip fingers in the sudsy water, run finger over and through foliage, rinse and repeat. Thoroughly mist with water in a spray bottle to rinse the soapy water from the foliage afterwards -- especially tender young leaves.
Sometimes aphids are hiding in the leaf node or tender new unfurling young leaves or seedlings where it's too narrow/tight or tender to go over with my fingers. Bamboo skewers work great for those areas.
It's when I'm examining the tip of the bamboo skewer to see -sometimes a whole string of- aphids clinging to it- that I'm reminded of those nature videos showing chimpanzees catching termites on grass stems -- lick, probe, pull out bugs, and lick off. ...if you try this, do resist those irrational urges to put the aphid covered bamboo skewer in your mouth.
I did FINALLy tire of all the "monkey business" and order {some} live ladybugs
"...what release them IN THE HOUSE?" You say? -- Yes indeed 
It must mean something that my family did not bat an eye when I showed them the net bag of squirming ladybugs that came out of the package. (I won't speculate ...besides, DH and I have been finding and disposing of nearly three dozen brown marmorated stinkbugs that have crept in the house to overwinter so far.... 
)I bought what I thought was the smallest quantity available based on best price I could find. Looking over the included literature, this company offers a package of 300 good for birthday parties, etc. which may have been sufficient...
...1500 may have been too many....
-- It does say you can keep them for up to two weeks in a home refrigerator where they will remain hibernate/remain dormant and can be released a little at a time. (And it came with a vial of ladybug food syrup, but you can see they found their own food 
)- The Indoor Garden Patrol went to work right away on these yellowing peppers.
When the sun is shining nice and warm, they find their way between gaps and try to get outside. 
We have had some alternating fair weather and temp drops down to teens and low 20's and I don't know how many of the escapees managed to get back inside. 
(probably no such luck though)
