In my post I did not say that it was completely safe, just that it was better than most "insecticides". I also stated "point attacks", and advised against recklessly spreading Sevin. Yes it will also kill beneficial, but again I said point attacks on the Japanese Beatles, not wholesale broadcast. "use insecticide responsibly" was the phase used. Sevin (carbaryl) does not accumulate in the environment, or in tissues, nor is transmitted up the food chain. All preferred characteristics. I also suggested that caffeine solution could possible be useful. As far as earthworms go, I reviewed again several sites such as the one linked below from Cornell, and earthworm toxicity is not mentioned, but perhaps I missed something. As for myself personally, I spread 20 pounds of "Milky Spore" last fall on our lawn, and may very well do so again this fall. I do not wholesale broadcast any "cides". I use them "sparingly". Those I do use, I research as to their impacts, and attempt to choose wisely and use carefully. I hand pull most weeds from the lawn. I allow many other plant species to stay in our lawn besides the grass. I do nothing to grasshoppers, or most other insects. Our lawn is healthy and green, and composed of a mix of cultivars so as to reduce possible disease pressures, and also a drought resistant species. We have earthworms in our lawn soil, and their numbers are increasing. I use slow release chemical fertilizers, and leave grass clippings lay to increase organic matter, and reduce the need for those chemical fertilizers. Chemically it's all the same. I have lots of ladybugs running around looking for aphids, various wasps hunting in the plants, moths, dragonflies, and bumblebees. All of which are appreciated, and facilitated where possible. The neighbors are constantly asking what I'm doing and why, as they like the results. And so I get to coach them in responsible/careful use, instead of the wholesale broadcast that they do when they take it upon themselves or feel preached to by someone that they see as unrealistic. I do, and will continue to KILL Japanese Beatles. They are NOT native, they are invasive, and they wreak ecological havoc defoliating native plant species that are not adapted to resist them. Native plants who's survival, and competitive ability is impacted by this defoliation. I will not try to simply move them elsewhere to do their damage elsewhere. I want them all dead or at least greatly reduced outside of their native range. There is much more to being responsible than whether you use a "cide" or not. Here is a link that might be useful: Carbaryl

This is a post on the vegetable forum, but I think we should have this here too. Here is a link that might be useful: All tree beetles

George, I think I'll do the same with squash just to see if I can do it this early. Keep your eyes open. Today I saw the first grasshoppers, and they weren't the little tiny 1/4" or 1/"2 early instars we usually see in March or April, they were about 3/4" to 1" long. I can't figure out why I haven't seen the smaller ones but all of a sudden have the bigger ones, unless they rode in on today's very strong winds. Susan, I'm not liking what I'm seeing weatherwise and bug-wise. For fall to be our best garden season, rain has to fall. Most of the droughts I've experienced here start more in the summer months than in winter or spring. Going into spring with drought is the worst possible situation. At least when drought shows up in summer, the plants have presumably gotten off to a good start in the rainy spring before the drought begins. This year, we're not having that rainy spring. For all my worrying about the weather, I'm just happy that I'm a gardener and not a farmer or rancher. I can't see how the farmers and ranchers in OK are going to make it through this year financially if rain doesn't fall. I remember the 2005-2006 drought when ranchers here with decades of effort invested in their livestock bloodlines had to sell off their cattle at auction because they couldn't afford to keep them. It was the worst thing in the world for them to go through that. I'd hate to see similar circumstances occur again. Dawn

I have used a similar method to drown codding moths that attack my apples. This "brew" consisted of water, vinegar, molasses, and a bit of banana, hung from the tree limbs in cut off milk cartons (the plastic gallon sized ones with handles work best). The containers fill up fast and need scooping often, the brew just gets stronger with time and needs refreshing every 2 weeks or so. I'll have to give your tomato/bucket method a shot as stink bugs and leaf footers are terrible here, for the asst fruit trees as well.