Take some dishwashing liquid soap. I put a couple of good squirts in a glass with some water and mix. Then get an eye dropper and put a drop or two on each egg cluster. Will also effectivle kill the adults if drop on them and trhey can usually be found at the base of the plant. Insects breath through the skin and the soap coats the eggs or adults when applied directly on then and suffocates them. The eggs don't hatch and you can watch the adults die a painful death in a couple of minutes of pleasurful entertainment. It does however cause a burn spot on the leaves but is no more harmful to the plant than squishing and much easier.The cardboard or other board material placed near the base of the plant is very effective in providing cover for the bugs and makes it easy to find them. It is also not a good idea to mulch squash because this gives them places to hide. Rodger

I am referred to as "the tick magnet" in my household. It is not uncommon for me to walk across the lawn, spend 10 minutes in the veggie garden, and come in with a tick. I've gotten so I can spot a wood tick sitting on the top of a plant, waving its little legs and waiting to grab hold. I'm going to repeat what I said in the post from last fall that Claire linked. I live on an old farm with a mix of field, brushy growing-up field, and woods. I use bug dope with DEET, though I put it only on my clothing and I don't always use it. I own several pairs of the pyrethrin impregnated socks and I tuck my pant legs into them. (Along with my bug net during black fly season I usually look pretty dorky when I am out in the garden.) I don't really worry about ticks because during the height of the season I might find 6 or 8 on me over the course of a day, but I do take them seriously. Instead of worrying, I do a complete visual and touch check whenever I come into the house in the spring and fall. Clothes get stripped off and examined along with my body. I again do a complete visual and fingertip check at bedtime every night (until it gets too cold for the ticks to be active) standing nekkid in front of a mirror so that I can see places like under my arms and the middle of my back, etc. in case I missed any the first time around. I also comb my hair with a comb having close-set teeth and do a careful touch examination of my entire scalp. Clothing I take off doesn't go into the bedroom. I view that nightly 15 minutes as the dues I pay for being able to get out beyond the lawn areas at my house. When we first moved here I used to freak out about getting a tick, but there are so many (mostly wood ticks, though there are some deer ticks) that I just don't have the energy to get worked up about them. I'd rather put the energy in to doing careful checks afterwards since it takes a day or more for a tick to get seated and spread disease. I do this check religiously, every single night, even if I have not worked in the garden. It's part of my bedtime routine, like brushing my teeth. It is my understanding (and fits in with my observations here) that rodents are a large part of the cause of the "deer" (more accurately referred to as "black-legged") tick problem, so the tick tubes, which target the application of permethrin specifically to rodents, make good sense. I haven't used them, however, and studies vary in their evaluation of effectiveness. Last season was the first we had appreciable numbers of black-legged ticks, so we are just starting serious consideration of management for them. I haven't previously seen reference to nematodes as good for controlling ticks, so I did some reading. It seems like around here they aren't too effective since nematodes live in the soil, and when are ticks are in or on the ground, it's too cold for the nematodes to be effective. They are also more effective on adults that the nymphs that often spread disease. However, I did come across a fungus that it supposed to be better in this part of the country, Metarhizium anisopliae, that has met with EPA approval for tick control. Unfortunately, it appears to still be in the product development stages. As others have mentioned, keeping areas with brush or long grass mowed will help reduce shelter areas for ticks, and reducing areas like stone walls where rodents hide will help as well.

Someone else already said it so I'm going to say it again.....cheaterpants!! LOL Okay, really, that is a super swap package that I know Sally will enjoy for a long time. Nina, you went all out with this one for sure. If our resident "rat" loves this Muscat Orange Vinegar...along with others...lets just say I'm jelous and envious at the same time. Wish we had TJ's down here in mhy neck of the woods. David (who only sent one thing with packing material...lol)

I'm still here! :) Marge, yes, the husband's family can be pretty brutal in such situations; divorce is seen as the woman's fault in India, but I'm way past caring about that! As long as I have my parents with me, I'll be fine. He can't clean out my bank account, we don't have a joint account, and I have full access to his account - how cool is THAT! ;) He returned from India and said he doesn't think there's any point in staying together anymore. We discussed how we'd go about it. Unfortunately divorces in India often leave the wife with little, if any, monetary compensation; we discussed alimony and just as I expected, he's willing to give me an amount way less than what I expect (and could claim according to law; I also know he could afford it very well). He said he has liabilities such as investments and loans so he would bring that to court when the time comes to settle alimony. A week later, after he saw me checking online to rent apartments in Bombay, he said let's go for a trial separation. I didn't say anything. A couple of days later, he said let's give it another try, and that he wanted to talk. Then he admitted he suspected before marriage that his sex drive wasn't normal, that he took the relationship for granted ... and 15 min later said he never thought he had any problem with his sex drive, that he's normal in every way, that he has never done anything wrong in the relationship, and there was nothing wrong with what he did at the topless bar. I once spoke to him for almost a whole minute, telling him to feed the cats, and that I'd moved their bowls to another place, and to put the kittens in their room so they could eat in peace etc, he said OK to everything ... I saw him 5 min later and asked if he'd fed the cats and he says "Huh? What? When did you ever tell me to feed the cats?" I reminded him of our 5-min-ago conversation and he said he didn't remember me standing by his chair and talking to him at all! He's always been this way, but mostly when he isn't responding, I know he's not listening; this time he actually said yes and turned back to look at where the bowls were kept and all. My conclusion: I'm married to a Class A nut. I've thought long and hard about going to India, I thought I needed to be with my parents, with people who support me, but I've finally decided to dig in my heels, start working, be financially independent and see where things are heading. When I'm good and ready I'll move out, and take the cats with me. Thanks to all of you; your suggestions help me think of alternatives when my muddled mind is unable to see clearly, and your support always buoys me. Cynthia