If they just sucked sap they'd be no threat because their eating does very little-no damage but when the females lay eggs they can kill branches and cause diseases. It's their egg laying parts that slice into the stems. Didn't have the problem with so many last year because I planted later. I hand kill 10-20 every morning this year. That's a lot on small plants. Plus, the more that are on the girls, the more show up. They sing. They're trying to turn my garden into a breeding ground.
I do like your clove idea but I'm concerned it might be like using food bait for rodents and attracting even more of them. I'm going to try this first, I bought a couple six packs ea of marigolds and petunias to put in planters between the girls(might add crysanthimums, lantanas, lemon thyme, lemon grass, and menthol). I'm using my grow pots and Lucky Dog soil mix. It will make them grow off the chain and condition the soil for better nutrient transfer when I use it again. The roots of some plants even help fight nematodes, like mums.
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Breaking out the DE too.
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