Out there (Tucson, specifically) the best protection I've seen are those that totally enclose the garden with a breathable/mesh shelter around their planting area...which is neither attractive, nor convenient to install/maintain (especially with the wind). Small fences work in some more urban or less animal-active areas. There's a quite active AZ Gardening forum on GardenWeb...some people there might be able to help you out. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/azgard/ Here is a link that might be useful: GW AZ Gardening forum

Ein-Yahav collectively produces about 34,000 tons of peppers, watermelons, melons, tomatoes and other vegetables ****in protected greenhouses, net houses and tunnels*****. Because they need that so the bugs stay around. And they are constantly introducing fresh predators. ====== we have one month during summer when it is not allowed to grow anything in your plot, in order to make a vacuum �" if there are no plants, the insects die off. Then, when you plant in August, you start the season without insects and without any need to spray.â Another thing very few home gardeners will do: clear out the greenhouse for sanitation. This annual rest period also protects against soil disease. âÂÂWe cover the soil with plastic during this time, and the sunâÂÂs heat takes the temperature up to 50 to 60 degrees [Celsius] and it kills any fungus that causes diseases,â So if they have a once a year sterilizing period they start each year with a ZERO pest load ... good practice if you can do it.

Here is my take on this. I am a member of a rose society and I see many menbers use Hercules type efforts to have the perfect rose. It does not make a difference if they are showing roses or just growing roses. Many have have a long list of things to do all year long with crazy fertiling scheduals and spray programs. They buy roses with showing in mind,fertilize with showing in mind and spray for bugs wih showing in mind. Think that price of gas is high, buy some Banner Max or Compass and a good miteicid. I work for a lawn care company full time during the year And I am a licensed pesticide applicator. I don't do lawns but tree and shub care. It amazes me how many people are stressed about powdery mildew,japanesse beetles,leaf hoppers and other issues. Even if I tell a customer that its only cosmetic they want it killed or controled some way(like maple leaf gall because it makes the leaves look funny). Most people have never heard about IPM but just want to use chemicals to kill every thing. Because I work about 60 hours a week during the season my own roses take a hit. But They look good to me, I don't spray any chemicals from my company on my roses. I use a fertilizer when I have time but water all the time when they need it. If at the end of the year my ogrs have blackspot thats just the way it is. I used Actively Aerated Compost Tea ,I use Milorganite,I use rose tone and others. I try to ammend the soil but I always water. I do whatever time permits. The bottom line is insects and diease will all ways be ahead of us and will out live us all. I tell my customers a tree or shrub including a rose bush most likley will out live us all. Go to a park or forrest and look at the trees and shrubs nobodys taking care of them and the all do just fine. Roses are like people all they want is food ,water ,and a comfortable climate and they will do fine. Look up What "Integrated Pest Management" Means. By the way some customers don't like to be told you should not try to kill everything or learn to live with some mildew of blackspot. Stanc

Hi, I fought orchid pests indoors for a long time and the most effective seemed to be a combination of neem oil/soap in water judiciously sprayed on affected plants and the putting of the plants outdoors in summer to let the spiders and other insect predators do their thing. I also found that repotting every year without fail kept pests from going from year to year in the potting mix. Using a fan in the area also helped with thrips and other things like that so long as I could keep relative humidity high enough, over 50 p.c. Outdoors, nothing works better IMO than encouraging predator insects. From wasps to lady bugs to praying mantisses and snakes, you can enlist an army of helpers by providing 1) diverse plantings of nectar producing flowers, 2) host plants known to attract beneficial insects, and 3) a source of water and shelter for frogs and other critters to use. Japanese beetles were really bad here because of an old tree that good denuded each year. It was some type of dark leaf cherry tree. Moles would come after the grubs and make a huge mess. Nothing worked, not even milky spore. So I cut down the tree and replaced with a Prunus mume and voila, problem solved. Sometimes you have to observe and replace things rather than fight momma nature IMHO. After 10 years I am happy to report I use no chemicals or pest controls of any kind. I live with a little black spot and rust but that's it. Keeping planting well spaced and diverse, with good airflow helps a lot. But probably avoiding problem prone cultivars is the most important thing which means I don't use tea roses at all. YMMV but I think using pest control gets to be too much of a chore to keep up and for every measure you come up with the bugs come with a counter measure. RJ