Thank you Fetters. Really good post. Quite timely for us as DH has suggested putting in a garden pond. My first question was, "What about the mosquitoes?" I was intrigued by the mention of Lemon Eucalyptus. E maculata sounded somewhat familiar so I assumed we call it something else down here. I googled it and this is what I found. E maculata is known as Spotted Gum or Honey Gum (good for bees). E citriodora is known as Lemon-Scented Gum. And there is a hybrid E maculata citriodora. Recently these particular gums have been reclassified from Eucalyptus to Corymbia (useful to know in case the nurseries change the labels). I debated whether to mention the next bit. In some areas they are getting a reputation as an invasive weed. It's hard to know when such a reputation is truly warranted. (I have some birch trees, which are most definately not indigenous to my area, and I do get seedlings coming up, but after all these years my birches haven't taken over the nearby bushland. Or is that because they have no chance against the Patterson's Curse, which was once an introduced garden flower.) I suppose all I can say is do some research if you're thinking of planting one. Perhaps conditions in the areas of the US where they are grown are such that they are happy enough to grow okay but not so happy that they get out of control. And the good news is if you change your mind after you've planted one, it apparently makes really good timber. Hello OzOrganic. Sorry to hear about your landlord issue. Don't get me started on that subject. Hope you find a solution soon.

Ken's view may be expressed a bit extremely but it's pretty much right on......very few insects do enough damage to mortally affect plants. It is almost entirely cosmetic in nature. It helps to develop some tolerance for this. Nature is seldom the idealized, perfect pristine environment, except from a distance. I often suggest to my clients to observe the "10 foot rule" - if the problem is not obvious from a distance of 10 feet away, then it's not really a 'problem' at all :-) The issue with employing pesticides, like the systemic and even many organic preparations, is that they disrupt the activities of natural predators, like the birds, toads and beneficial insects. However, there are ways of addressing insect issues that will have minimal impact on the environment......but first you need to know specifically what the problem species is. Japanese beetles can be addressed with milky spore; other types of larvae can be controlled with beneficial nematodes; pruning out damaged portions and removal of egg sacks (especially in fall) will help to control Viburnum leaf beetle or you can use Tanglefoot or other barrier type controls. And keeping your plants as healthy as possible will help a lot - avoid over-fertilizing, provide adequate watering and good soil and site conditions, proper spacing and use a soil-protecting mulch. Plants that are stressed for whatever reason tend to be much more appealling to insects than those that are not. FWIW, aphids don't eat plant foliage - they are sucking insects that extract plant juices resulting in sometimes deformed or contorted foliage but no holes.

how did you come to the ID???? .. if nothing works.. and one presumes you targeted your threat ..... then one has to question the ID .... [maybe you took the sticky traps to a professional????] one might suppose there are a multitude of gnats??? .. if in fact.. they are gnats .... have you talked to your county extension office ... perhaps they can offer some wisdom.. as i doubt you are the only yard in the county dealing with such ... i presume we arent going to get a picture of them ... so i am searching for more info .... good luck ken ps: bt takes a very long time to act ... like multiple seasons.. if in fact.. it does work ....of which, i am not convinced ... and i hope the person who ID'd the threat.. wasnt the dude who sold you the bt ....

TD, Thanks, this gives me some more information to present. I see the 45,775. What is the [B]Ventilation[/B] and [B]AED Excursion[/B] that's referenced, bringing the total to 53,642? I don't see on the Manual J where there's anything showing a factor for the Icynene insulation, which is supposed to allow me to reduce the sizing of HVAC, or the Low-E, argon-insulated windows we're using. I'd imagine they'd have an impact on the recommended size. Also, my wife and I don't use A/C as much as other people. The house is on the water and gets a really good breeze off the river. That, coupled with ceiling fans in all rooms, is good enough for us except for very hot, humid weather, which of course is all Summer in SW Florida. When we do run A/C, we usually don't set it lower than 78, and never lower than 76. As long as the humidity is lowered to a comfortable range, 76 to 78 is perfect for us. If I understand the role of sizing, a too large compressor will not run long enough to dehumdify properly, and with a thermostat at 78 it's possible we'll never get the humidity to a comfortable level. On the first floor, the 520sf Guest Suite will rarely be occupied, so we will have the suite closed off and the thermostat set to 80 to 82. The two other zones, totaling 2000sf, will be used every day and will have stats at 76 to 78, so normally we'll be cooling 2000sf. Should this be factored in the Man J, too? They're just running the ducts and the zoning dampers now. The compressors won't be installed until at least August, so I have time to make the right decision. I'm not sure when they put the two air handlers in. With the 4-ton XL 19i would the air handler be the same as the 5-ton? If so, then I don't have to worry about that in case those go in earlier. We're moving in June and renting the house next to our build, and I'd rather go over all this face to face instead of email. If it can't wait, I'll fly down and have a meeting. I agree with you that superior HVAC is very important, and I don't want to make an error. Where would be the best place to find an independent party to review the calcs, and what do I need to supply to get accurate info? Thanks again for everything. Kevin