Longtailed aphideater devours oleander aphids (Chicago suburbs, IL)
I feel dumb after spraying neem oil on my milkweed. My aphid population was just completely out of control and I didn't see any predators. But then after watering, I saw a bunch of these little guys surface. At first I thought they were weird baby caterpillars but now I feel even dumber after discovering they are "aphideater" larvae! Bruh, I've been trying to get aphid predators since I found them, I even paid for lacewings and got nothing. Then I get these guys for free by nature.... I hope I didn't accidentally collapse my ecosystem.
I also found that the dwarf white isopods and springtails I paid for that I thought all died off have established themselves and bred in my milkweed container pot. I also have spiders, tarnished plant bugs, ants (who have thankfully stayed outside on the balcony and not invaded my home), green aphids, and I even think I saw a pirate bug.
Just wanted to share the cool video and also to reinforce the advice that people give here, if you have oleander aphids, let them be, nature will come and native insects can handle them. At most, spray some normal water or your hand to reduce population, but avoid chemicals or you can collapse your bug population.