I know this is a really an ancient thread but I did want to share my experience with sucrashield with those who care to hear a positive review. I have used this product for about ten years in vegetable consulting and production. The key is using it in connection with a good knock down like pyganic and smother the heck out of the larva with a good oil like oleotrol-I. Sounds like overkill to mix three things together but I use this regularly as a preventive on all kinds of fruits and vegetables. I have had not problems with resistance and as far as I know there has not been one crop failure if this is applied weekly. Better yet is to combine it with a good sticker so the rain does not wash it off. I apply this mixture with a stihl blower mister and cover the plants to runoff. I can go to the garden the same day and harvest if need be. It requires a little more washing but I do not have a harvest interval or dangerous residue to deal with. I keep a ready stock of these three biological insecticides but and when ever this fails I am not afraid to get out the big "synthetic" guns an have at it. I read msds sheets faithfully and observe application rates and re-entry and harvest intervals. I agree fully with some of the observations above that there is a lot of mis-information and dis-information regarding the chemical vs. organic systems of production. I apply both on their legitimate merits and throw the rest away. For me this is all about having a successful vegetable and fruit growing experience and not locking myself into any particular system. I want the healthiest most nutrient dense food I can grow. I also want to promote and steward a healthy and rich growing environment.

Patrick, did you know that you can get allergy shots for a mosquito allergy. Mine is a true allergy. I may get 6 or 7 mosquito bites on one day, then in 36 hours, one of the bites begins to swell. It swells to the point that I cannot cover it with my hand, it develops a purple knot the size of a quarter, and it begins an unusual itch that feels dangerous. When I was diagnosed the allergist even insisted that I carry adrenalin for 2 weeks until the shots had time to take effect. That was many many years ago, and after the two weeks or so, my mosquito bites are just annoying, but not dangerous. I still take the shots. I worry about the diseases that they carry and that ticks carry. Aren't you in the medical profession? You might ask to be skin tested. Thanks for your recommendation. I have been using Cutter from Lowes. like you, I put on sun block (Coppertone) then the spray. It doesn't take long to feel very dirty. When I first saw the ad of the new spray on TV, I thought it would be unsafe to breathe. But if the stuff is on your skin, you still breathe it. Sammy

I put in the handheld for a couple of reasons, one is that the hose allows the head to be moved around and hung from other points in the shower. Example; I have a head bracket in the wall down low, my wife sometimes hangs the head on that when she's shaving her legs, etc. Or the hose allows you to easily use the head to rinse down the walls and floor of the shower. Some people use it to wash their kids or even their dogs. One thing I learned a few years ago is that handhelds are no longer the cheap leaking showerheads that I grew up with back in the 70s. Hand held heads are now the same fine quality shower heads that go on a shower arm, except they're mounted on a (ta da!) handle. The only caution I'll offer is that rain heads have a gentle flow, it's not the vigorous spray that typical shower heads provide. Some people with long hair would find rinsing shampoo from their hair to be a slow process. So don;t plan on a rain head as your "main" shower head.

drewem, I don't want to turn this thread into something else, but unfortunately sometimes you don't know about the capabilities of a crew until you work with them, and that can be too late. My first contractor came with rave reviews, I saw pictures that looked good. The person who recommended him said "He can take a sketch from a napkin and build it!" Unfortunately, that was true. The translation of detailed drawings was as loose as if it had been a sketch on a napkin. If you had a vague idea of what you wanted he could build you something nice. He could not, however, follow a plan, or maybe even really read or understand a complete plan. I went for four years without a kitchen unraveling the mess. I definitely think there are some trust issues in this case as well, but generally, not unwarranted.