In article ,
"Katey Didd" wrote:

I have Sevin dust. We only use chemicals when the bugs are getting out of
hand. We have many acres of woodland behind us so all kinds of critters come
from back there, both good and bad.

I know that feeling. ;-)
That is what keeps happening when I poison out the local rats.
Some of my neighbors have problems with deer.



Placing some birdhouse gourd nesting houses for house wrens, keeping
some areas (for reptilian and amphibian predators) damp in the yard,
rocky areas where they can hide, and jealously guarding my spiders does
a lot for me. I'm also getting a healthy population of Anole lizards
and fence lizards. :-)

We're too far north for anoles. We do have fence lizards and skinks, box
turtles, frogs and toads and many kinds of snakes. I've yet to see any of
them in the veggie garden. Our biggest problems are the squash vine borers
and cabbage worms on the collards. I used that bacteria for them last summer
but it was only partly effective. Most of the leaves were badly damaged
before it stared to take effect. The plants were really set back last summer
between the worms, the heat and the drought.

Can you hand-pick the worms? They are generally out mostly at dawn and
dusk. I know it's a pain but...

One possibility would be to simply plant more than you can eat.


I don't have a lot of extra geckos right now like I've had in the past,
or I'd offer to mail you some. g It's getting to be a bit hot now
tho' to ship live lizards.

See if you can get your hands on some toad tadpoles. Raise them up in
an outdoor temporary pond. I keep finding the cuties in unexpected
places!

Because of the ponds we're loaded with toads and frogs and newts.

I envy you the newts. :-)

I'm still going to have to use BT tho' for brassicas and my passion
vines, but that won't kill predatory insects. It only works on larval
forms of pests.

We use it also. :^)

Wrens are death on bugs. :-)
I think that's the only reason I've been able to garden at all! Little
dudes are voracious when they are raising a nest of kids.

Plus they are cute!

I'm blessed with mockingbirds too.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people
until they put their foot down." -- Stephan Rothstein