I'm just reading this thread for the first time. I've never seen cyclamen mites but I, personally, see no reason to ever look to see them. They show themselves by their damage. On gesneriphiles, some years ago, someone posted that they searched and searched for them, and finally found them under the skin of the plant, inside rather than outside. I don't know if this is the case, but I certainly have heard lots anecdotal commentary that they are very hard to see with magnification. So, my methodology is to concentrate on damage, as that is much easier to diagnose. African Violets are notorious for cyclamen mite susceptability. A late friend of mine, who for a while was commercially growing mini violets, found he had to spray frequently to keep them under control, although thrips were probably even more difficult to control. Now, in a greenhouse mass-propagation situation bugs become much more of a chronic problem than in a small collection. They come back fast whereas in our collections we can get rid of them for a long time between infestations. But, what I have noticed, having a mixed gesneriad collection with a small part being AV's, is that cyclamen mite damage has always made itself apparent first with episcias. In fact I noticed that episcias will get quite a bit of obvious damage before I see anything on the violets. So, keep your episcias happy, so that when they get mites, you will be able to quickly ID the situation. Once you suspect or actually know you have an infestation, then treatment is simple and effective. I have had three or four infestations in the last five or more years. Each time I sprayed with one application of Avid, and had complete and lasting supression of the mites. The badly damaged episcias showed recovery by putting out new crowns from the axils of the leaves. Stolons sometimes were dead, and sometimes recovered. Violets that didn't show damage, did not later develop damage. They just regained normal vigor. I would go as far as to suggest, that if you think you have mites, you have two options. One--you can wait until you are certain that the conditions you are seeing are from mite damage, and then spray. This methodology will result in more damage, and a longer period for recovery; but it will teach you first hand what the damage looks like, and what the pattern of damage and time frame of development is like. Then, at least, the next time you will know more about what is happening with your plants--whether a problem is mites or something else. The second option is to spray if you suspect damage. Then if the problem continues you will know that it isn't mites. But, if the plants soon begin to show increased vigor, and lose the problem foliage that concerned you then you can suspect that mites might have been at fault. Either way, you will have dealt with mites and succeeded. I found Avid was very effective. It has an odor, that is apparent and not too dissimilar to some natural plant odors--Kohleria allenii comes to mind. It is something like the natural scent of Nematanthus albus too. It shouldn't be objectionable unless you are especially susceptable to changes in room odors. A small quantitiy of Avid will last a long time. One shouldn't need to use it very often (less than once a year, mol), and a quarter teaspoon will make a gallon, which is about four times + what one would typically need to treat two or three multi-level lightstands. So, that is my methodology, Jon

I've had good luck with PC. But, the best to grow, are the old ones, not the new varieties. I have good luck with magnus, and I have some pink ones that I'm not sure what the variety is. Mine die back in the fall and come back in the spring. They also come up everywhere in the flower bed. So, I transplant them where ever I want some. I just deadheaded them, and threw away a lot of seed. But, I can keep seed and share them. If you are interested in some hardy, no name coneflowers, that even attract red spotted purples, I'll share my seed this fall. How I grow them: I stick them in the ground, and water them until they are established. Then I just forget about them. My soil is sandy loam, but has lots of silty clay in it also. It can get pretty hard when it gets really dry. Silvery crescentspot cats sometimes defoliate the plants, but that's ok with me. When everything starts to droop in the garden, I water. I don't feed them, and I don't mulch them. I also have the new named varieties. The blooms are pretty when they first appear, but they don't stay true as they age. They actually look worse than the old no-name variety. But they are spreading and thriving. Sandy

lol, love those pics!!! I hate hornworms with a passion. I usually find them on my brugsmania. To get them off I knock them off the plant with a stick then play golf with them and the stick until they land into the canal. I tried feeding them to the ducks but they refuse them and I've never seen any bird or fish go after them when I throw them in the canal. They must be just as disgusting to eat as they are to look at.

What I didn't come back and report, is that after I drowned that poor girl, that very afternoon I was walking through the garden and lo! (like that? Lo!) There was a lady dressed in red. A bag work on my JM 'Fireglow' had an all red bag and was industriously moving up and down the branch. I was so sad to clip the branch and drown her, too. Then a few days later I was talking with my neighbor, who told me he'd had bag worms all over the place and was plucking them off, squishing their bags, and putting them into the garbage. He said they were everywhere. He's down wind of me, so perhaps that's why I've only found two so far. I was just glad this somewhat nutty man just didn't throw them into his compost pile, or the eggs would have had a field day. So sad. I really didn't think we had them here, since there isn't any info or advisory on any MD agg sites. Well, I've got enough pests to deal with. Those Japanese moth web bags are showing up now. Just out of reach for me, unfortunately.