black and orange fuzzy bugs (almost like tiny caterpillars) all over my corn plants and some in my cukes Sound very much like lady bug larvae. Actually it would be relatively easy to make up a list of Garden Pest references because Googling "common _____(insert name of vegetable) pests" gets you all sorts of photos for the few true garden pests. Some already exist here in various froums (see Common Tomato Pest FAQ and all the Ask the Experts FAQs on Pests. The problem is that so many think all bugs in their garden are pests when it's really the other way around - the vast majority are beneficial insects. Less than 10% of the insects in existence are harmful to the garden and many of those are damaging only if you have a major infestation. This approach to gardening is called Integrated Pest Management and has been around for years. Based out of the University of California, it has its own IPM forum, here, and its own educational website full of great info IPMyou might want to explore for info on each and every garden vegetable. Well worth bookmarking. In fact most all states have their own IPM Programs run through the AG Extension at their state university. The University of Georgia also has its own IPM research and info website UG IPM and is currently focusing on the "50 Insects Important to Agriculture in Georgia". Worth checking out as well - especially the section on vegetable gardening. Hope this is of help to you in switching your focus from the few bad guys to all the good guys found in your garden. ;) Dave

Rain water, snow melt, distilled water, as well as air conditioner or dehumidifier condensate are pretty much free of dissolved solids, but bottled water can be very high in dissolved solids, so it isn't reliable as an effective hindrance to necrosis of leaf tips and/or margins. When plants wilt while the soil is still moist, it's a very good bet the soil is too wet, and starved of enough oxygen for roots to function normally, which, since water uptake is an energy driven process, causes loss of turgor and wilting. Unless root function is severely compromised, affected plants normally regain turgor and stand up again as they close stomata in preparation for the dark cycle. If a plant wilts during the day & recovers turgidity at night while the soil is still damp or wet, it needs less water in the rhizosphere or a soil that has better aeration/holds less water at container capacity (when saturated). Al

Sorry to say that no such thing exists. Wouldn't that be great but bugs and gardening go hand-in-hand. It is the growing conditions provided hat draw in the pests, not so much the plant. For example, aphids are attracted to plants that are getting lots of nitrogen fertilizer. Maybe too much? Fungus gnats are drawn to the soil of plants that are kept wet. Maybe too wet? Leaf sucking insects are drawn to plants that are wet AND cooling in shade. Maybe too much shade/not enough sun? Moths that lay eggs that become caterpillars are drawn to the nitrogen and odors of all the brassica family. So we have to learn how to create/control the growing environment we provide as much as possible and when using containers that can be more difficult than with in ground plants. Then learn how to prevent the problems that attract the pests. Also more difficult with containers. Some pests will arrive anyway but they can be easily controlled or kept from doing damage in many different ways. Dave

You have a mealy bug infestation in progress. For future reference, (don't know if you usually do this or not) but any new plant acquisitions should always be quarantined for two to three months and routinely inspected during quarantine precisely because doing so can go along way to avoiding problems like this. Mealies are relatives of aphids and, like aphids, many species can reproduce by parthenogenesis making their control difficult as the females are reproductive "machines", so population explosions are common if not detected and eradicated early. Again, like their aphid relatives, many species capable of parthenogenesis can give live birth as well as lay eggs. Adult females tend to be rather sedentary though they are capable of moving. The nymphs are more active and commonly refered to as "crawlers". If left unchecked they will quickly colonize just about any plants they can get to. With bad infestations, you will be fighting an uphill battle. Inexpensive, commonly found plants are generally best tossed in the trash, or firepit, or -- if living in a snowy wonderland as I do -- put outside where the cold will kill the plant and mealys and then be used as compost. It simply is more trouble than most folks find it is worth to battle the bugs in such a situation. With more rare/expensive plants or those of strong sentimental value, then a treatment regime may go as follows: 1) Spray the entire above ground portion of the plant with straight rubbing alcohol, a systemic insecticide, or horticultural oil (note: in this latter case, plants may need to be kept out of direct sun for a week or two to prevent sun scorch, from what I have heard) -- including underside of leaves and in crevices. And, 2) Water the plant with a systemic insecticide. *Treatment will need repeated every two to three weeks for a month or two in order to get any new bugs which hatched out or were born from missed eggs or surviving adults. In very bad cases, the plant(s) may need to be repotted with the roots be rinsed of all old media as mealys will sometimes colonize the roots. Since you appear to have a major infestation going on, DO NOT obtain any new plants until the mealys are eradicated, and any new additions should be quarantined for two to three months before being allowed to enter the general population.