No one mentioned bugs being a problem when I moved here from So. Cal.! I'd never even heard of the squash vine borer until this year. Well, tonight I got up and real personal with one on my bush pink banana squash. I was able to grab him (or her) after running inside to get an id off of the computer :-) and smush the little bugger. Then I went on to do some inspection. I ended up cutting open 6 of my 7 winter squash plants and pulling out the larve. Gardening is not for the faint of heart! I then covered up the split vine with dirt. * maybe* it'll survive.

So, are these SVBs gonna be around for the rest of summer? Will I need to do daily checks until frost (if they survive)?

And Japanese beetles?! I'd never heard of them either! I've only seen one on my beans so not too much trouble there but I saw plants covered with hundreds (all mating too by-the-way) at a local park this evening.

I'm loving living in this state but California was way easier where bugs are concerned! (even with my horrible earwig trouble last year!).

So far in 2006, my town has not sprayed my area. But last year they sprayed 3 times. Where I live I have an alley behind the house and I live on a corner lot so I get sprayed fore and aft and on the side when the trucks are out.

Last year (with the spray)we had almost no lightning bugs, crickets, or dragon flies...a coincidence? However, the flies, skeeters and boxelder bugs were all over.

This year the lightning bugs are back, and the skeeters and flies are hard to find. I finally found a spray that actually worked on the boxelder bugs so they are all in bug heaven now.

Now, I can hardly wait until the faux ladybugs showup after Labor Day.

As for lightning bugs - they are pretty magical. I was driving down a road one night that didn't have any street lights lining it. The lightning bugs were dancing throughout the ditches. I'd never seen anything like it!

Update on the SVB's - One of my attacked pink banana squashes looks pretty sick but better than a day ago so maybe it'll pull through. Whatcheer - thank you for your response. I only use chemicals as a last resort too. I feel wierd about using them on my veggies (even if they are organic controls).

This is the first year I've seen Japanese Beetles. I would have been surprised to find one, but I'm shocked that I've found three in the past week! I guess conditions must be right for them? They're chomping down my flower foliage like there's no tomorrow! However, It may be my own doing because I haven't used any pest repellants.

On the bright side... this year I found a Swallowtail butterfly caterpillar chowing down on Butterfly Weed--a first! To the butterfly larva I say (a la "dinnertime" parlance), COME AND GET IT! :D