digdirt Dave Most sites say both the adults and nymphs of squash bugs suck the sap from the leaves and stems "causing a wilting known as Anasa wilt of cucurbits. This closely resembles bacterial wilt, a true disease. After wilting, vines and leaves turn black and crisp, and become brittle. Small plants are killed entirely, while larger plants have several runners affected. Squash bugs are often found in large populations, congregated in dense clusters on vines and unripe fruits. Sometimes no fruits are formed." Do you have more up to date information? Or did you mean that the young cause more damage because they're so numerous and hungry after hatching? I found two of them just now on my squash plant on the deck, actually running around the base of the plant when I watered the soil.

Looks like the Thyreocorid/Negro bug. http://bluemountainsconservancy.org/education/bookoflife/Corimelaena_spp.php

Saintpfla, I'm no expert, I'm learning too. I was hoping someone else would chime in but you need to post a picture if possible. FWIW, my plants don't look good either, lots of leaves dying off and I just can't get control of the Downey mildew but it doesn't sound like we're having the same problem. I did better last season with the containers sitting above ground, vs. now having the containers sitting in their in-ground bunkers where its easier for soil contaminants to transfer into the container soil even though there is space between the two container soils. I just picked a dozen cukes off the Spacemasters but not sure how much longer they will last, and while I have quite a few small cukes on the Bush Champion those plants look even worst that the Spacemasters.... This has got me thinking about moving the cukes completely off the ground. Tony had grown some upside down cukes and said they did well but it looks like he's pulled the pictures so I can't post them. Otherwise, I may just continue to use the short vine varieties and get them five feet off the ground in racks and just let gravity do the trick.

I have three magnolia trees side by side. They are young. They're about 6-7 feet tall. I had them in large planters and moved them into the soil in the fall. They are not doing well. Here are the things I've noticed: -They used to have that rust/brown colored fuzz on the bottoms of the leaves. Now most of the leaves don't have any of that fuzz at all. -Some of the leaves are yellow, and many of them have small dark brown spots (see photos) -Many of the leaves are drooping (angled toward the ground) -Many of the leaves have been eaten by pests (see photos) -I think there are several pests as I have seen several types of bugs on the plant. -One of the pests eats the leaves and causes them to curl/distort, and then under the curled portion on the underside of the leaf, you will find small cotton-like deposits -I have seen both tiny white flies, tiny brown flies with white wings, tiny dark grey/black bugs without wings, tiny clear bugs Please help me save my magnolias. What kinds of pests am I dealing with (I think the small white fly was just that...white fly...but what about the others. What pest eats and curls the leaves and then makes white gauze-like cocoons on the underside?