Then I used Sevin Powder which helped with the flea beetles, but a
neighbor is a beekeeper and posted to our neighborhood listserv to ask
that no one use Sevin Powder.

If the beans or such aren't flowering, I doubt the sevin will be a problem
with neighbor's bees.

MK (the mystery killer) is the big problem. It has actually
killed in some cases, over two or three years of trying, my butterfly
bushes, a mulberry tree, beans, tomatoes (or that could be wilt), some
years basil, many kinds of flowers, my pomelo tree, spice bush, roses,
maimed my jade plant, etc.

I had a problem a couple of years ago with spider mites. They "sneak" up on
you before you realize they're damaging anything. They seem to have a real
affinity for butterfly bushes.

Baine