Ace: Look's like you've got me here. The first FAQ indeed mentions control of the June beetle. This is one of those rare cases where product claims have actually understated their real ability to control pests. Oddly, the last FAQ on the list seems to directly contradict the first. This is the first time I have seen a claim that milky spore controls anything other than Japanese beetles. But the news may be better than that, based on experience here in the past growing season after application of milky spore (as I recall) in late June, 2006. The only previous milky spore application I made was around 1979, and the effect indeed lasted nearly 20 years, although it seemed to weaken in the last few years of that period, and I did have infestations of other types of beetles, as well as some increase in JB's. It turns out that the brown beetles I have always called June bugs are really one or another type of Chafer Beetle, which comes in the Masked Chafer, Rose Chafer, European Chafer varieties, and several other related species. The true June Beetle looks more like a Japanese Beetle on steroids, larger and flatter than the JB, but with a similar iridescent green color of the head and wings. This beetle has never been present in serious numbers here, but the Chafers have often defoliated particulars targets of their choice, especially plum trees and sweet cherries, and done quite a bit of damage to other fruit trees and garden crops too. Chafers feed mostly at night, and their season is usually shorter than the JB, but they are no more welcome. This past season, I not only saw no Japanese beetles, but almost no Chafers either, leading me to wonder if the milky spore had some effect on their larvae too. One swallow does not make a spring, and one season is not really a scientific test, but it is extremely unusual for me to go through a summer season with almost no beetles of any kind. One other thing I noticed in the FAQ's is some confirmation of my belief that the JB does not fly far before beginning to feed, and that the effects of the milky spore will continue to enlarge in area so long as there are larvae to infect. This is consistent with my experience, since I have no JB's, but properties only a few hundred feet away still do. It certainly seems worthwhile to put this milky spore down, although I would go with the pure culture that comes in a can, not the bagged stuff for spreader application which has a very low component of active spore. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Concrete wire is very thick and difficult to work with. 14 G. fencing 5' tall (2X4" spacing) is available at Home Depot for about $40 a 50' roll and should last about 10 years before the welds start to give. Higher quality galvanization used to be standard when the fencing came from Georgia instead of China and you could get about 20 years. This higher quality fencing may still be available from fence supply stores. Being able to mow under a tree is not an issue for me. I want easy access to my trees for my hands. I have dealt with concrete wire and plastic netting at various sites and I much prefer my method because entry is so much easier. But then, the 5' or so diameter rings inside the fence are usually mulched and a mower is not used. Weeds are pulled by hand. If and when I stop mulching, the tree is already above the browse line and the fence is removed and replaced with a narrow buck guard to protect the trunk from rubs. Sorry, no time for photos this week. I have to get my wife's help to accomplish that. I'm a techidiot. Drive one stake into the ground a couple feet from the tree, weave the end of fencing with flush cuts through the stake (if it's smooth wood) wrap the fencing around the tree and close the tube you've made with 2 or 3 pieces of the fences own wire. Total time- about 10 minutes including measuring and cutting the fence piece.

You likely overpruned this tree, stimulating too much shoot growth. When this happens, there is a lot of new fruiting wood, and a lot of fruit is produced, often smaller and more numerous. This leads to broken and bent branches. You can reduce the number of these new sprouts, and reduce the length of the remaining ones. This will reduce the number of apples produced, and will make the remaining branches stronger. Also, by thinning the apples in their early growth, you can make larger apples. Pull one apple off of clumps of two or more apples. Good luck!

It's not a viburnum - viburnum has flat-topped flowers. It's either ligustrum japonicum or ligustrum sinense, probably the later - I can't see the leaves well enough to tell. Both plants were used extensively in landscaping the past, and l. sinense is totally invasive in my area - I pull up seedlings and try to dig up the bigger plants all the time, but it has a big, tough root system. The flowers smell real sweet, almost as sweet as l. japonicum, and they make black fruits that birds eat and distribute everywhere. I saw a red-spotted purple nectaring on it the other day, which surprised me - I've never seen a butterfly nectar on it before. Congrats on the butterflies - they're beautiful! MissSherry