I did answer your question earlier, but obviously clicked something besides "submit ", lol. Is this planter still filled with a planting medium of some kind? I assume so. Above ground planters are a favorite nesting spot for fire ants. The very best methods fot controlling fire ants is with a bait. We want to use something that is very attractive to the ants, something laced with a toxic substance, and something that can be applied in small amounts to be rapidly taken by the ants into their nest where it is fed to all of the residents, including the queen. By far, the most effective bait that I know of is Amdro. I would expect that you've heard of it. However, it cannot be used around edibles. You CAN, however, use it outside the perimeters of the planter. There are also fire ant baits that are labeled as safe and acceptable for use in veggie gardens. The active ingredient is Spinosad. Several manufacturers make spinosad baits so you will have to become a good label reader. Look for the words "organic ", "Spinosad ", fire ant bait on the label. I would be very tempted to use both of these products.....saving the Amdro for areas outside of the planter. Look for any sign of ant mounds nearby and treat them individually. As always, read the directions thoroughly and follow them carefully. More is not better.

Yes it will. The air space will fairly effectively eliminate the benefits of conduction from the slab, but there will still be some minor benefit from heat radiated from the slab - not likely enough to make a significant difference in what will/won't overwinter for you there though. Building a "skirt" that encloses the space below the planter (like a tight fitting box with no top or bottom) would be a big improvement and keep the soil about 10-15* warmer during periods of extreme cold. Tenting the planter would also be a good way to trap heat from the earth, but be very cautious about this method if it will receive direct sun as it will interfere with o/a cold-hardiness eventually, if plants begin to grow prematurely because of solar heat gain. Al

Toni, it sounds like yellow jackets that got you. They look similar to honeybees, with their black & yellow stripes & small size. They can sting multiple times & are extremely aggressive. Also, IME, honey bees are pretty laidback like bumble bees. They aren't real fast & kind of just buzz slowly from flower to flower. I can swat them away & they just buzz off contently to the next flower, not paying me a bit of mind. They only time I've seen honey bees get aggressive is when their hive is threatened. (We have a lot of wild hives up here in old trees here) Honey bees can only sting you once & it breaks off their stinger in your skin, they die shortly after. If it was truly honeybee stings, you'd have had to scrape the stingers out of your skin & you can see the stingers. Not yellowjackets or hornets, though. Those little devils can sting & sting & sting. And they will chase you! My hubby & his crazy siblings & cousins have this summertime "game" (I'd say it's kinda like roulette, LOL!) where they spray the yellowjacket nest & knock it down & then run like hell. Crazy, right? I do not participate! Love my crazy in-laws, but that's one thing I consider a little too crazy ;-) I know that dragonflies lay eggs, that's how they reproduce. I have no idea if you could order dragonfly eggs or larvae, but that's something worth looking into. I strongly disagree with the government's spraying for West Nile because it does affect the healthy bug population. And ignorant humans don't realize just how important bugs are to our planet. That spray was also linked to adverse reactions by people with compromised immune systems, elderly & young people, & people with any type of breathing conditions (COPD, ashtma, etc). Simple fact is that it's poison & there are many more environmentally friendly ways to deal with such a problem. Just one of many reasons I converted from a city girl to a country girl when I grew up...I much prefer living up here in the boonies of southern Oklahoma, with its wild natural beauty & undisturbed, well-balanced ecosystem, than in DFW with its smog & concrete & just general yuckness that they subject the population to.

djoy the pillow is one that my wife made for me. She traced the outline of my .357 Mag Desert Eagle and made the pillow with some spare fabric she has from her quilting. Oh and today I took a couple of ripe pods to work for a couple of chilihead coworkers. I sure wish I had my camera phone then. Their faces were redder than the pods. The vending machine company should thank me. They were eating ice cream like it was an all you can eat buffet for the entire half hour of lunch break. The weather has been warm enough that the peppers have been going outside for the days. I have been bringing them in at night as it has been wet at night. I want to avoid too much moisture in plants that could end up inside for week or more. The stuff in the low tunnel looks pretty shocked. Though the geraniums look they will pull though. The ornamental peppers dropped their leaves, though the stems are still green so I will hope for the best on that one. Ok now back to loading up some .45-70 Govt. cowboy loads for fun tomorrow. Nothing like banging the steel spinners with those big heavy bullets. A note on topic. One of the pods on the Moruga is now blushing orange. It decided to turn color after seeing my Walker Colt laying next to it.