We have two roosters with about 16 pullets. They have never flogged us, but our two previous roosters did. When one of them actually put a hole in my jean's pant leg with his spur, it was time for the dinner pot. I refused to have to watch my back on my own property. Our newer roosters have never been threatening to anyone. I attribute it (perhaps wrongly) to being of mixed breed since we hatched them ourselves from our hens eggs. The previous rooters were full breeds, one leghorn and the one that attacked me was a black andalusian. But I like to keep roosters because they look so nice. I have never had a problem with introducing new chickens to the flock. Just make sure they are old enough to put up with some harrasment from the other chickens. They eventually will all get along.

Since you're also from Ontario I'll share what I've seen locally. Surprisingly one of the big box stores (HD) seems to be really good, a couple of the other big box stores not so good. The highest percent of infected plants I've seen are at large high end garden centers. One store in Brampton has a very impressive selection of perennials and the largest Hosta selection I've seen. MANY of their plants are infected. Another high end retailer with a very large selection also has MANY infected plants. Two seasons ago I was starting with Hostas and just becoming aware of HVX. I thought I saw some HVX plants but the plant manager at store #2 reassured me that ALL their plants were healthy. The next season when I definitely knew what the symptoms were I saw MANY infected plants. I mentioned it to a manager, She shrugged her shoulders and said "A lot of plants have viruses". I mentioned that many customers spend hundreds of dollars on their Hostas and that the store should sell only healthy plants. She just shrugged. This year they're still selling infected plants. Obviously they don't care. Many of the infected plants were showing advanced, very pronounced symptoms. At the low end stores I can accept that I may be taking a gamble with my purchases. My only justification for shopping at high end stores was to hopefully ensure that I'm paying a premium price for a premium product. It's really disappointing to realize this isn't the case. Luckily there are some good online sources.

Donna15: If the parasitic wasps in your area are invading mason bee tubes, then they're not the parasitic wasps that attack the beetles. These are a whole different species. We have a FAQ How do I keep the red lily leaf beetle from destroying my lilies? which gives general information, and the UMass Extension has an excellent Fact Sheet on the Lily Leaf Beetle. UMass says: "If your customers only have a few plants in their garden, hand-picking adults and eggs can be effective. For more than a few susceptible plants, pesticide treatments may be needed. Products containing Neem (Bon-NeemTM, AzatinTM), a botanical insecticide, have been shown to kill very young larvae but must be applied every five to seven days after egg hatch. Products containing the systemic imidacloprid are reportedly providing effective control applied either as a foliage spray or soil drench depending on label instructions. Imidacloprid is the active ingredient in MarathonTM, used by commercial flower growers, MeritTM, used by landscapers and home gardeners and one of the active ingredients in Bayer Advanced Rose and Flower Insect Killer for home gardeners. There are also other home gardener formulations containing imidacloprid. Products containing spinosad a microbial insecticide, may also be effective. Spinosad is sold as ConserveTM and EntrustTM for commercial growers and Monterey Garden Insect SprayTM, BULL'S-EYETM and others. Before recommending a product or applying any pesticide, read the label and apply only as directed on the label." I've used the Bayer Advanced Rose and Flower spray with good results, but with all of these pesticides you have to be careful not to apply them when the bees and other beneficial insects are visiting the flowers. There are soil drenches you can use (I've used them with good results), but some of these contain fertilizer as well and are better applied in the spring when plant growth is starting up, rather than fall when plants will soon be going dormant. The beetles will overwinter in the soil so you should aim for killing as many as possible now before they dive down, and then watch for them as soon as the lilies start showing in the spring. I like the systemic insecticides, like Bayer, because they're spread throughout the lily tissues and mostly affect insects that feed on the leaves and flowers. One caveat: It is possible that the insecticide will be contained in the pollen so that could affect bees. Claire

No leaves = no water. Leaves need some water since they are working factories that use water but in cooler weather and less sunlight they do not use much. So light watering until the leaves fall. Or you can clip off the leaves about a quarter inch from the branch and pop off the stems after a few days which speeds up the dormant period. Many people do this in areas with strong winds to prevent branch breaking and harden up branches for winter. I would also recommend that before removing leaves, give a dose of sulfate of potash or Protec to get potassium into the plant which protects against cold. Bill