Christie, did'nt have bugs eating plants but had a new kind of wasp like bug, looked like an enormous yellow jacket. Did,nt get stung but was very leery of this big thing.
Will try to add a link to a bug identity site.
vickie

Here is a link that might be useful: Bug Guide net

Hey!! it worked. Will try this related one. hope it helps.
vickie

Here is a link that might be useful: Insect and Related pests of Flowers and Folage

I had more Japanese beetles than last year, but not an insurmountable amount. I just picked them off each morning and drowned them. Squash bugs would have to be my worst enemy..........I threaten to never plant cucumbers or squash again and do it over again every year. I need to buy some new Remay and try that.

My entire garden was a flop this year with the exception of sweet potatoes. I have gardened for over 40 years and have never had such a dismal garden. I mulched everything, watered when needed and still bad results. The sweet potatoes were the best ever. Who knows what happens. I have talked to several people in our area with the same complaint.

Let's hope for a better year and more rain in 2007.

My insect pests were mostly indoors. I've never seen so many fruit flies!
Oh, and the chiggers outside!

Sorry ,goofed up on that last link. This should work better.

Here is a link that might be useful: Insect and Related Pests of Flowers and Folage

APHIDS!APHIDS!APHIDS! I think every aphid in the 4 state area desended upon me even in the very late winter on all my greens and cabbages...so many,trying to wash them off,so we could have some for the table was impossible. My son's lizzard was in heaven...bumper crop of greens w/ protein.

P

OH NO!!!!!
I was sure hoping that the Japanese Beetle hadn't made it to AR. I've been at war with them for about 4 years now. They completely strip my Virginia Creeper vines but don't touch the silver lace or dutchman's pipe. I've sprayed everything at them that I could buy and there are way, way too many to pick off. They just come and take over. My husband set out traps but I think the bait just attracts more. Anyway, Illinois has more japanese beetles than they care to have. If anyone has a good idea of how to kill them all, I'd love to hear it.

Donna - From what I've read, you're right about the Japanese Beetle traps attracting more, although it does seem like it would help in the long run if enough people put them out, or better yet, if the conservation department put them out away from our yards. I only saw Japanese Beetles on my crape myrtles and roses at first and each year they keep finding more and more things that they like. My butterfly bush was heavily attacked this summer8 and of course it wouldn't be very smart to spray THAT since it would likely kill the butterflies too. It's so frustrating. I do think there are some birds that will eat them and hoping more and more birds will develope a taste for them.

Peggy - I had a bumper crop of lady bugs this year. I was finding them by the dozens this spring. I still had aphids but I think not as many as last year. I usually see a lot of aphids on my mums and they left those alone at least. Hope the lady bugs are not the Asian variety that likes to move into the house for the winter but with my luck, probably so.

Marian - This started out as my worst year yet for chiggers but they seemed to fizzle when it got so hot and dry late this summer. Too dry for mosquitos too I think.

I haven't been able to garden this year due to back problems but I have to answer this question. My worst bugs were two nights ago when I dreamed I had flesh colored aphids growing on me and I was giving them to everyone else. I was getting so frantic because I thought everyone would be so mad at me! LOL ya'll better keep your distance!

Last year I had some Japanese beetles but they didn't come back this year. They were mostly on my ROS. I agree with Marian on the chiggers. We have to put chemicals in our yard or we can't go outside for them and they ticks. EEK! I hate them both but chiggers are ALLERGIC TO ME and I swell up like a quarter and raised about 1/2" at times.

Nancy

lol Not sure why you would dream that you have aphids. Could be a bad case of gardening withdrawl. Hope your back does better next summer. Glad to see you posting here again.
My youngest daughter is allergic to chiggers also but doesn't get whelps as big as yours (yet). I was worried what might happen if she gets stung by a bee but her pediatrician says not to worry there's no relationship to a bee sting allergy which would be more dangerous.

I forgot I took a picture of my poor pumpkin this summer when it was covered with squash bugs. I'd given up by this time.

Yarrrgh ! Christie! That is another reason I gave up veggie gardening. I loved to grow all the vine crops ( Melons, squash, cucumbers). But those miserable squash bugs would ruin them all.

I guess it never got hot and dry enough here. I had chiggers all summer. They finally let up when cold weather arrived. I still have the fruit flies! It's like a Biblical plague. :-(

I had lots of trouble with the squash bugs too. In 2007 I'm going to put in a small duck pen, in the garden, and let them out for a couple hours a day, when the plants are all larger. I intend to get a couple Indian Runner Ducks, which are small and shouldn't trample things too badly.

We also had terrible problems with blister beetles. Being new to Oklahoma, I had never seen this creature in sufficient numbers to cause trouble. But these bugs could completely defoliate a tomato plant in half a day!

George
Tahlequah, OK

George
Tahlequah

That's it George! Thank you! The gray beetles that were eating my hostas were blister beetles! I'd been trying to figure out what they were and googled a picture of them after reading your post. Looks like there are many kinds but the ones I saw in my yard were gray like the one below. They ate my hostas to the ground and I did see some on my tomatoes too. I think they liked the hostas better though.)
Hope the ducks work well.

Here is a link that might be useful: gray blister beetle

We had gray, black and brown striped blister beetles. I spent hours hand picking and discovered how they got their name. More than once I crushed them between thumb and forefinger and accidentally touched my face or arm. The next morning there would be a blister where their body fluids had contacted my skin. It hurt too!

My wife did the best. One time when we were expecting company she left the porch light on. She stuck her head outside, an hour later and there were a couple of INCHES of blister beetles on the door jam! She went out there "blasting" with bug spray and probably killed as many in 1/2 hour as I had managed in two days!

The only solution I can figure for blister beetles is to be hand picking whenever I see ONE. And be diligent about it. I've even killed a couple, out in the garden, this last week, even though they're not hurting anything presently.

George