oo lste! I mean too late! gawd I hate those things. You know, you see those fluted droppings under your tomatoes and peppers, and there are barely any leaves left on the plant, you still can't find the d@mn things until your nose is very nearly resting against one- and swearing at the top of your lungs doesn't do a thing to drive them off. I think I'll share with y'all my reasons for hating them- it really is a phobia. 1) A really, really long time ago a friend and I were skinny-dipping way back up in Reddington Pass- far past where most people ever went, and it was midsummer and hot- but you don't need to hear the reasons- anyway, my friend saw something colorful at the bottom of a pool about 3-4 feet down and swam down to pick it up- big freakin' hornworm that neither of us recognized for several seconds afterward- the shock of what it was gave us both a big aversion to them, but since then they've stalked me almost like grasshoppers do. 2) I've found them on the running board of my Tahoe a couple of times- REALLY weirded me out until I figured out that they eat catclaw vines and I was knocking them off some new growth when I was backing out of the carport... but the worst part is that they stay on the running board and are still there when I get to my destination!! The wankers are too big to stomp on, too. Until I read on this forum that hornworms are attracted to daturas, I spent WAY too many years wondering what on earth that stupid hornworm was doing way the heck upstream from Tanque verde Falls... maybe it wasn't stalking me after all. Or was it?

What about tomato blossom drop? **** it's a possibility in the zone mentioned at this time of the year but I'd expect to see withered blossoms first that hadn't been pollenized due too either too high or too low or too high humidity before I'd see the whole blossom drop at the joint. Maybe I misread the situation when the word "nipped" was used above b'c I didn't see that word as suggesting that the blossoms were withered and falling off at the joint right above them, rather, that they were being nibbled or nipped at. Carolyn

Striped armyworm. I get them every year. Bt or spinosad helps control them, especially if you catch them early. This year, because I trellised and the trellises provided a lot of attractive perching real estate for birds, I had far less of a problem with them. Now that we're moving into fall and most songbirds have switched to seed- and fruit-eating mode, I've seen more of the armyworms reaching larger sizes and may have to spray.

There are lots of variations on this kind of wasp trap: https://www.bobvila.com/articles/homemade-wasp-trap/ I made several that I hung in my fruit trees, using not two-liter bottles but plain 20 oz ones. Punched holes in the top of the sides, and ran a big nail through to keep the trap together, then used wire around that nail to make a loop for use in hanging the traps in my trees. When the traps fill up I can remove the nail (I use barn nails, they're about 6" long, maybe you have other comparable materials handy), disassemble, clean, and refill. Wasps love Coke, and it smells enough to bring them in fast. But plain old sugar water like you'd use in a hummingbird feeder will do just fine. Lots of people mention cider vinegar, banana peel (huh??!), etc. Wasps are always after me when I have either red or white wine in the back yard, at certain times of year. I have to cover my glass when I put it down. There's no absolute rule about what bait to use. The point is to make it sweet and if convenient fragrant, and drown the nasties. I hung one of these in each of my apple trees and presto, no more fruit damage.