Saschja, I just now saw this comment from you in July......never got a notice in e-mail. So sorry to have not responded. You can e-mail me directly at free2bebrian and the @ and then gmail.com. My name is Jan. We still have walking sticks, but have managed to keep them limited. Takes a lot of plucking. The best remedy I found is watering the plants and watching for them moving out of the wet zone. They don't like water. Then I grab them and either kill them, which I hate doing, or put them in the yard waste bin. The problem with not killing them is the risk that they just get put somewhere else via the yard waste recycling. Mostly I suck up my buddhist impulses and kill them. But its hard. Write to me and we can talk directly. The brown and green are the same, just adjusted to the different color plant part they are on usually. So sorry you have a major infestation. Not a good sign for PG. Jan

Since I was badly stung by a paper wasp a few weeks ago, I disagree about them not being likely to sting. I was walking by a nest in a fence corner and it attacked my arm. Although I garden organically and nurture all my bees and bumbles, this was a six inch nest and these had to go because they were so dangerous. So I bought some long distance foaming wasp killer. Extremely effective and easy. As to the prior comment about Fall, people should know wasps' and yellowjackets' internal organs start shutting down when it gets cold, and so it doesn't matter how much they eat, they can't digest. They begin starving to death, and, of course, this makes them very angry, which is why they're worse in the fall. Carla in Sac

Gaile, you're not dumb! This hobby just has more to it than the eye can see! The fishing line is a form of deterrent. Sialis.org says HOSP typically see it, flutter around the box, and are discouraged by it. I tried it one season without any luck. Still had HOSP claim nestboxes with the monofilament (fishing line) It is best to trap and dispatch a male House Sparrow that has laid claim to a box. This would be, of course, AFTER the fact that he has gotten over the fishing line. A mesh drawstring or large trashbag is ideal so that you can contain the bird and it doesn't escape. Sialis.org/hosp has all the management methods. It may seem harsh, but as Kendra said, they're dangerous birds. They're also messy and don't eat many insects. If you want to be successful with Bluebirds, you will have to find a way to deal with the House Sparrow. There are few places these days that don't have HOSP due to modernization, poor bird feeding, etc. When you get to watch a beautiful, young bluebird leave the nest for the first time you forget you really had to deal with HOSP. Good luck, and check out my link for the traps! Here is a link that might be useful: Van Ert Nestbox Traps

Ho, they are discerning munchers - those fine leaved asiatics will always be overlooked if there is a chance of a lush oriental...or better still, the soft salady leafage of a crown imperial for an early snackeroo...and apparently, the fat whorls of martagons are a choice habitat. I am OK with horticultural oils...and if the choice is between late blight and no tomatoes, I will use a systemic fungicide, and even targeted herbicides for persistent weeds...but systemic pesticides, with those vile neo-nicotinoid beekillers are never going to be acceptable in ANY of my gardens. A recent report on the huge push for nurseries to sell 'bee-friendly' plants revealed 27 out of 29 plants were contaminated by long-term systemic pesticides...and far from 'friendly', were in fact, deadly. Worth a check for those of us who do fear for the future of bees (and other insect life). Gardening is usually promoted as a 'green' activity...but as the report pointed out - driving to a garden centre to buy pesticide soaked plants, in plastic pots grown in peat...is anything but ecologically aware or remotely sustainable. A shout out for seed-saving, dividing, sharing and swapping...and a level of transparency in the horticultural industry, please.