On Thu, 7 Jun 2012 14:03:40 -0500, "Snag" wrote:

I was a bit surprised to find none on the cantalopes or pumpkins

What region are you located in?

Last year, I had really good luck just going out in the mornings and
plucking the adults ("shield bugs") and scraping off any egg clusters
that were found (not many). Thus far this year, I haven't seen any,
and I've got a couple dozen squash plants going already. A good pair
of tweezers is handy.

, but DE poses another set of problems . If it gets wet , it does no good
anymore . That means I'll have to change the way I water , and will have ro
reapply after every rainstorm or heavy dew .

Yea, I use DE for spot treatment in dry weather. I sprinkle it
through an old flour sifter. had a bunch of earwigs messing with
ornamentals in a planter, and not so much of a problem now.