My mini-donks hate when I spray them, so I don't. They have access to the barn all day, so when the bugs get too bad, they come into the cool darkenss of the barn to get away from the bugs.

LOL You know everyone that hasn't kept up with this is going to think we are totally nuts! All of a sudden, our Publix is carrying it again. I wonder if it has anything to do with tomato season! Just in case someone finds this thread and does not have a clue what we are talking about, here's what it's about. Alison, started this a couple of years ago in the tomato forum. Here's her original post about it: "" http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tompests/msg1115262332106.html "Posted by torquill z9/sunset15 CA (My Page) on Fri, Jan 6, 06 at 4:21 I know it's been a while since this thread was active, but I thought I'd pass on the solution I use... Pantene makes a shampoo called "Pantene Pro-V Clarifying shampoo". Pick up a bottle of that specific shampoo at your supermarket, then add a couple of drops to a spray bottle and spray all the leaves. Make sure to get the undersides of the leaves in particular. Repeat the spray two to three days later. My experience with this stuff is that it nukes all stages of the life cycle, somehow. Regular insecicidal soap kills only the adults, but the shampoo seems to give good control for at least a couple of weeks. It's enough of an effect that I have a formal biology project planned to make a study of it, alongside insecticidal soap and malathion... If I manage to do the study, I'll spread the word on what I find. ""

I have been able to keep the whiteflies at bay all summer by using biological wasps. The upside is that systemic insecticides in Bayer Tree (Imidacloprid) have minimal effect on biologicals since they are not sprayed on the leaves and when used in conjunction with biological has double the effect. For large-scale infestations like yours, Delphastus catalinae provides a quick cleanup. Then, the Encarsia formosa for greenhouse whitefly and Eretmocerus californicus for silverleaf/sweet potatoe whitefly will help keep them at bay for the rest of the season.

I'm with you on your concern for the newborn and with Rhizo on the 'please don't spray anything'. While some are acutely allergic to bee stings, if that isn't the case with your family I would suggest learning to appreciate the bees for the benefits they provide and make room for them. This does not include the particularly aggressive jerks who make thier home right outside your door and dive bomb you 24x7. Those can be dealt with on a case by case basis. One of the summer joys for my family are the bugs and bees. Mosquitos are the exception...grrr.... Many years I plant morning glories in a sitting area and spend some slow weekend mornings with a cup of coffee just watching the bees go about from one flower to the next getting their legs covered in pollen. They have never stung anyone in my family. Those bumblebees with their fat, furry bodies and clumsy flight patterns are the exception though. grrr... I also get wasp nests which I go remove. I have even been known to spray poison on them in one area I can't reach to remove the nest. For this limited purpose I prefer a chemical toxin with long residual effect otherwise they just come back. So, all in all, I completely understand your concern, but unless there is a serious allergy issue, bees are best made friends with unless they make their home too close for comfort and then are best dealt with on a case by case basis rather than a whole yard treatment. After all, what would childhood be if not for the occassional bee sting ;-) Believe it or not there are places in the country where declining bee populations are becoming a serious issue due to lack of pollination with some plants that are dependant upon bees to do the job. As annoying as some of them can be, we need them.