Rita, actually I do like some of the UFs a lot. It's just that most of what I have is full form (still my favorite)so that's what I photograph. I really like Ginger Twist which I've shown a couple of times. I hope it will be a good performer. Still not into skinny spiders and doubles though. Val

Three years ago I was horribly infested with earwigs, both inside my house and in my yard. I started using Diatomaceous Earth the first year after learning I couldn't handle the rolled-up newspaper trick. The white powder residue was not deck friendly (white streaks were difficult to remove) and I had to reapply it daily. At that time the creeps weren't eating my plants. I put my potted plants on stands instead of saucers and started using a vinegar, water, Dawn solution. I sprayed it into the cracks of my deck where I had seen the @&*!! scurry to and from. I also sprayed it around rocks where I had seen them. I used the same solution in my house. It worked well in the house. Haven't spotted any inside since that first year. Outside, however, the solution didn't seem to deter them. The Diatomaceous Earth did seem to work at keeping them off my deck better than the vinegar mixture. Now, year three: the bastards demolished my strawberries! They moved in to the potted plant and invited their relatives. I sacrificed my berries by using straight vinegar as an eviction notice. I noticed several of my potted plants had a strange, web-like covering on the top of the soil, same as my strawberries had. Dug around, Holy Earwigs! I'll toss the lot and begin anew. The bugs have burrowed deep and ruined my Sunflowers, Nasturtium, Bachelor Buttons, Basil, and chives. They are leaving my tomatoes alone also, as others have stated. So far my mints are untouched (apple, orange, peppermint). They chewed up my Marjoram but haven't even looked at my Oregano. Maybe they are too lazy to travel; across my small yard my corn is cobbing nicely. The only Marigold they've attacked thus far was planted in the pot with the Marjoram. A couple days ago they found my Sweet Peas. I surrounded the vines with rocks and poured vinegar, on the rocks. The sweet peas are doing well, the earwigs not so much. I think the earwigs moved to my potted plants because I cleared out all the dead leaves, weeds and other hidey-holes that had accumulated before I settled in. Last year my strawberries thrived. A friend told me to put chalk on the outside of its container near the top. I don't know if that worked, but this year I didn't use any. Anyway, that's my long story. I wish everyone the best of luck. And should you rid yourself of those little bastards and miss having them about I am willing to share!

I'm afraid that there is really no way we can identify what might be making those few little holes. There are LOTS of possibilities! I suggest that you head out there with a flashlight one evening and see if you can find a munching caterpillar, beetle, slug, weevil, earwig, etc. I sure wouldn't worry about such a minor problem. Harsh pesticides shouldn't come into consideration, especially on edible plants.

Aphids come in many different colors, and even the mint aphid (yes, there is a mint aphid) could be described as any color from yellow, cream, light green, etc. However, no matter the color, aphids look like aphids. You should be able to recognise the similarities. Spider mites (which are extreeeeeeemly small) and aphids are the predominate pests of mint. You could actually have both pests on your mint, and not see the spider mites (just the damage they are doing).