Pest Problem: Blackfly

Blackfly, otherwise known as the bean aphid, have struck my mint plants. When I look outside, I see  hundreds of tiny black bugs smothering my fresh, tender mint. They are sitting on the stems and are so tightly packed that no sign of the green stalk can be seen. They devour all the new leaves and shoots make a sticky substance that quickly turns into black mold.

Ants are known to eat this gloop, and "farm" the aphids for it. Yes, I did say farm! Some ants will actually pick a few babies up and transport them to a different plant to make a new colony.
 Even without the help of ants, they can spread by producing winged aphids. Adults give birth to young five times a day! Is there any way to stop this winged infestation?

What can I do?
Is my mint population effectively dead? No. There any many ways of combating these slimy foes, but I find a combination of water and washing up liquid most effective. Allow me to explain how to use this weird, and potentially confusing method.
You will need:
Washing up liquid,
Water,
A spray bottle (you can use an old washed out Vanish bottle for this)

The instructions are pretty simple: squirt a tiny amount of washing up liquid in the bottom of the bottle, and fill with water. Then, spray on both sides of the leaves, just to get rid of any bugs.
 For other methods, use the list below.

• Use herbicide
• Blast them with water (really hard)
• Hand pick them off
• Cut off the infected stems and dispose in a bin      (not the compost heap, for risk of spreading the colony)

I hope you found this useful!