I'd be willing to bet her "lawn guys" wouldn't know a real Killer Bee if it showed up wearing tiny little bandoliers criss-crossed on their chests, like John Belushi on SNL!! I've heard there is very little visible difference. Eradicating a swarm is sad, given the problems the honeybee is having. And look how the ones nesting in the mannequin moved on their own. People are so impatient, sometimes. I wish I could say I have heard anything new and more hopeful for their fate, but as of yet, I haven't. Maybe someone else has an update that sounds more positive. (The last I heard, the almond growers in California said they might be losing their entire crop due to lack of pollenation. And other crops are going to feel the effects, too, I'm sure.) I saw my FIRST honeybee of the entire summer out front on my new abelia (someone said they used to call it a-BEE-lia for the way it attracts them) which is blooming now. (I'll have to take a picture tomorrow...it's very pretty.) Anyway, I saw that ONE and that's it for my garden this year. VERY different from last year! Marcia

I did consider bullfrogs . But in seven years of obsevering my yard and eight months with a swampy gold fish pond i have never seen or herd bull frogs . The tree frog i mentioned was bitten bye the turle the night i posted lol and has not returned. Prior to lebrons intoductiom to tje pond i had always wished for bullfrogs niw i am happy it never happened

There is something called Palm Leaf Skeletonizer. It may not be this but Neem Oil is always good to use as a pest killer. Palm leaf skeletonizer The insect pest that is responsible for this damage inhabits and feeds on the tissues of the palm’s leaf. When this happens the leaves will take on a sickly appearance with a sawdust-like looking material. If this disease is not taken care of immediately can spread to the entire leaf. What is left after the destruction is the veins and the bare midribs, in other words, the entire leaf will be stripped? Theinfected leaves should be removed immediately at first sign to avoid spreading of this disease. Because if this disease is allowed to spread to the healthy leaves will be hard to control weakening the palm. If all of the leaves are infected because of not taking quick action the entire leaves will have to be removed which puts your queen palm in greater danger. Remove the infected leaves with a hand pruner and apply neem oil or sevin to bring this garden insect pest under control. After use, the pruner should be sterilized with alcohol and water then sprayed with WD 40.

The garden center where I bought the fuschias TOLD me to buy a 10" pot for them, so that's what I did, having never had fuschias before. A view of the top shelf of the wire shelving units, with my small hostas and heuchies. The larger one in the front is Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. The nice one on the right is Virginia Reel. Pure Heart is on the left, next to the red heuchie. Cracker Crumbs is in the double pot (inside the brown pot is an overturned plastic pot, to raise CC up to where it can be seen from the sidewalk). The variegated hosta on the left near the back of the row is Ivory Queen. The little hosta in the back which is elevated is Country Mouse. This is Zizu, looking for action at the geraniums, verbena, and bacopa. A strawberry pot of petunias, verbena, and calibrachoa. The two-toned beauty overlooking this pot is hosta Gypsy Rose. On the bottom shelf, in the green pot, is a little Rainbow's End, doing very well. This is the front window box, dripping with Cherry Star calibrachoa, yellow marigolds, Bandana Pink lantana. You can't see the several trailing vines of variegated vinca hanging down in front. This picture is the side of the balcony, featuring purple heliotrope, portulaca, Bandana Rose lantana and variegated vinca (which has red stems, so pretty). You can see a bit of Raspberry Sundae on the bottom right. It is doing much better in its fabric pot than it ever did in the ground--look at the size of those leaves! Sorry about the poor quality of the pic--it was taken through window screening of a room perpendicular to the balcony. So Ken--how is my balcony garden doing?