Ken Commiseration here, We have voles in SE PA as well..never had them eat the squash or cuke plants but any tomato within reach is fair game...also they ate all the lettuce in our cold frames last year. Voles will chew thru styrofoam insulation boards (they did to access the inside of the cold frame) so the pipe insulation chewing sounds similar... It makes no sense when there is plenty of other yummy stuff this time of year for mice and voles...somehow i think of chipmunks as smarter than voles, perhaps not...but agree the trouble is not of an insect nature. Trapping sounds like a good idea but wonder how many there could be out there. We had a small hawk take up residence near the garden last summer and he/she? helped a great deal.This year, the hawk did not return but the voles sure did.We find if we keep the grass short around the outside of the fence it does not give them any cover to hide. That helps but they still get in and eat tomatoes and beans. Our veg garden is fenced and strung with clothesline over the top in a random maze fashion to keep out the deer. Wish i could offer some sage advice, you have our sympathies. Maybe we should look up how to attract hawks to our property and let nature take care of the problem.

The pest I detest the most is the hornworm! They are creepy, blend in so well with the plants that finding them can be difficult, and they can decimate a plant in no time! My new technique for dealing with them? (got this one from somewhere on gardenweb).....cut the little booger in half with scissors!! Gross, but effective and better than having to touch them! (just make sure to label the scissors and don't use them for other things!)

Forgot to mention it, but you can see it in the photos, the veins of the Early Girls especially, but on all the tomatoes in general, are purpleish. The leaves aren't turning colors, but they're kind of tough and leathery. I'm starting to feel like a garden hypochondriac. Every time I look up a new tomato disease or pest, I'm convinced that's what I have, so I'm hoping you all can help me narrow it down. After looking at pictures, I'm thinking maybe the bugs are thrips, and maybe they've spread TSWV to the plants, but some of the physical symptoms of TSWV don't sound exactly right on the money. I'm so confused. I always thought gardening was so simple - throw plants in the ground, water, voila! Not so, I'm afraid. Soooo not so.

Hi, Think "voles". They burrow underground and gnaw on roots. Generally, they like tree and shrub roots, but they can be quite indiscriminate. Over on the rose forums, some folks have claimed that they were able to lift a mature rose bush straight out of the ground because voles destroyed the root system. Although most people won't experience that level of damage, voles can take a toll. Voles can make a complex series of underground tunnels. They can have multiple entry and exit points. There are different varieties of voles; some tunnel deeper than others. Pine voles tend to create deeper runs than other voles; because of that, they may not be obvious until the destruction becomes apparent. The entry/exit holes are generally quite neat and level to the ground. Moles, which don't gnaw roots and don't graze on plants, have holes with dirt piled up around them. Not so with voles. They are difficult to eradicate. They most reliable way to eliminate them is to use mouse traps by the holes ground. Some recommended baits are apple slices and/or peanut butter. Putting gravel or steel wool down the holes will not make them go away. Neither will predator urine, as most studies show that, eventually, most critters will figure out that there is no real danger. Vole populations ebb and flow from year to year. Generally, there is a population explosion about every three years, then the population dwindles for a year or two. Like most rodents, voles don't like to be exposed to possible predators. So, keep the grass and weeds around your garden mowed -- the lower the better. To keep voles from breeching the garden area, some people use the 1/4 inch hardware cloth around their gardens/plants, putting part of it at least 6 inches underground...better protection at a foot underground. Google "voles" - there is lots of information out there.