Ladybug larvae eat aphids etc. actually it's usually larvae period that eat these other "bad" bugs. The actual beatles/ladybugs with the shell that fly are not going to consume all that many of them. However, the more of the good insects you have, the more you will have their babies. Bumblebeez lady beetles are probably finding your porch a great place for multiplying. IPM does not work the first year. You'll get eaten the first few years, but less as years go by. I'm suspecting it's not just aphids that are attacking the honeysuckle. Mine bloom constantly and never have a pest. I'm wondering if yours get white fly at first and the honeydew they make is attracting the aphids? I don't always have aphids on the same plants every year, but man, I get white fly on the same stuff every single year. Lacewing larvae will eat the whitefly. It was the lacewings that were hardest to attract to my garden because they succumb to insecticide/pesticide and fertilizer applications so easily. I think the neighborhood didn't have all that many. Having other organic gardeners in your neighborhood really does help attract that balance. GGG

I think hand picking or vacuuming adults, planting beneficial-insect-attracting flowers, and using row covers on the grow beds are your best options for control. The following methods of control are quoted directly from "The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control" CONTROL METHODS: Squash Bugs - Maintain vigorous plant growth; handpick all stages of squash bugs from undersides of leaves; support vines off the ground on trellises; attract native parasitic flies with pollen and nectar plants; cover plants with a floating row cover (you'll need to hand-pollinate flowers. Stink Bugs - Control weeds in susceptible crops; remove or mow weedy areas adjacent to garden beds; attract native parasitic wasps and flies by planting small-flowered plants. As a last resort, dust with pyrethrin.

My first picture! We have survey markers telling the excavator where to dig. Excavators were supposed to be moving their equipment today, but no sign of them yet. The surveyor was supposed to be done in 2-3 days. So I said "go" on Thursday, they had questions, I confirmed they had everything on Friday, and I figured Wed at the latest. On Wednesday, I get an email from the survey company. "Did you want us to do this?" Uh, yeah! I thought it was done by now! I told them the excavators were coming today, so they made it a rush job and got it done yesterday. I went by the lot today to take some pictures. I also needed shots of the neighbour's "ready to fall down even before we start digging" fence. Just in case we get accused of damaging it. I'm driving up the alley, and a new house several doors down is having some landscaping done, and for some reason the guy has his equipment spread out in the alley. So there's not much room to get through, and there's a van coming the other way. We each take turns pulling over so the other can get through. He waves thank-you and goes on his way. As he's passing me, I realize it's BIL's friend who is going to be helping on the build. He's checking out the lot like I am, and didn't even recognize me. :P Also, while out running errands, I noticed a new bathroom showroom. It's a new location of a company I've already got quotes from. The quotes were ridiculous, like, over MSRP on every single thing. So, I'm not buying from them. But a big new showroom might give me a chance to pick out some things. Not a single item had ANY information. No price, no model number, and in some cases, not even a brand name. I asked if this is just a symptom of being new, they haven't put up the info cards yet? "Oh, no, the showroom designers decided that the info cards made the display look too busy, so we don't have any." Really? I think the fact that you have 22 shower heads in a 4'x4' square area makes it look busy. Info cards would make it USEFUL. Oh, well. I don't have to waste my time ever going in there again. It's ridiculous, this isn't some hoity-toity designer brand bathroom boutique. They've got a reputation for being a big supplier of basic plumbing supplies. Maybe they're trying to become the hoity-toity types? I think the ensuite tile is picked. I'll probably get a lighter version of the one I had originally wanted. It's also discontinued, but there's lots of stock as of yesterday. DH is going on his annual mountain bike vacation tomorrow, taking my car for 10 days because it's better on gas. That means I'll be driving his big 'ole beast of a truck, so I'll go get the tile then. If I miss it again, there are a few other options that are just as nice and only slightly more expensive. So no need to panic. As for windows, the cheaper guy's products are much nicer. But, he's still waiting on his 3rd party certification that allows him to sell his window with a sticker. If we have windows without the sticker, we won't pass the city inspection. So, we're giving him another week to find out when that's coming. I am also investigating getting a Direct Buy membership. They also sell windows. So if they can get the ones we want, at a price that makes the membership fee worthwhile, then that's another possibility. Has anyone else looked into getting a Direct Buy membership for their build? Did you find it was worth it? SIL's mother has one, and she swears by it. But she buys a lot of stuff for her 3 daughters and their families. My cousin built his house a few years ago and got the membership. But I'm not sure he calculated the cost of the membership into his "savings". I mean, it costs $5000 or $6000, depending on who you ask. So you have to save at least that much to break even. And a lot of people are probably "saving" that much only because they're buying stuff they wouldn't otherwise buy. For example, you could get a $800 dishwasher and be very happy with it. But you go to DB, and they can get you the $2000 dishwasher for $1200. So you "save" $800. But you've still spent $400 more than you would have without the DB membership. Speaking of windows, I realized that we had quoted the super insulated, fancy opening, custom coloured windows on the garage. That's a waste of money. The garage isn't heated, so single pane is fine. We want them to open, but sliders is good enough. And the colour doesn't matter. So I got a quote from Costco for 3 basic windows. I almost choked when I got it. It's almost as much as the fancy windows that were quoted with the house. I also asked for door pricing, since I don't like what the window guys are offering. And they've spec'd out 1980s Home Depot style doors at several thousand dollars each.

That is a flatfooted leaf bug. Here is a good link http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74168.html