Greenthumbz--Bleach instead of vinegar or ammonia partially because it was at hand, since I keep it around to sterilize tools between diggings. Vinegar and ammonia are okay for spritzing on slugs, but these plants were getting a total emersion bath for an hour, and I didn't want them either pickled or burned. Bleach will also kill off most if not all of the eggs. On using the DE, here is part of an email I sent to someone earlier this week who had a terrible slug infestation. Okay, now to solve your slug problem quickly, cheaply, and organically, three things I strive for in my garden at all times. Go to your local feed store (as in horse and cattle feed) or your local pool supply store, and ask for a large bag of diatomaceous earth. You want the pure stuff, NOT the kind with any added chemicals, or the pelleted kind, just the straight, unadulterated, powdered diatomaceous earth. This is composed of the microscopic skeletal remains of tiny sea creatures, and viewed under a microscope it is very spiky and sharp. Without a microscope, it looks like talcum powder. If a slug touches it, the tiny particles work into its body and kill it. But itÂs harmless to pets, birds, and most other wildlife. It will kill fleas and sowbugs, too, by blocking their breathing apparatus, so it may also do in some of the smaller insects, but mostly itÂs just fatal for slugs. In my garden earthworms are not bothered by DE. Now find yourself one of those parmesan cheese shakers that you see at the local pizza place, or a fine sieve with a handle, or even an empty talcum powder container and fill it with the DE. Shake it around the base of every plant, very close to the base and make a ring around the plant 2 or three inches wide. For plants that are already infested with the slimy critters, shake some right down into the crown of the plant. Then if you are feeling really ambitious, you can also put a line a couple of inches wide around the perimeter of each bed to prevent any more slugs from crawling in. You will want to pull any mulch back from the base of the hostas before applying the DE. I did this in some of my beds 20+ years ago, and still donÂt have any sort of a major slug problem, and I live in the country and have 12 acres of totally naturalized landÂslug heaven. I havenÂt gotten around to doing the newer beds yet, but by now my toad population is such that they deal effectively with most of the slugs. Rain will wash the DE into the soil, and partially off the plants, but there is still enough residue to keep the slugs away, even though it's not readily visible. If you have a really severe problem, you might want to spread the DE around a second time in about a month, then just use it on individual plants that might still have passengers. Feed stores carry DE because itÂs an effective and safe way to deworm sheep, cattle, dogs, horses, and alpacas. Pool supply stores carry it because itÂs used in pool filters. The feed stores are more likely to have or be able to get the pure product, whereas pool supply stores usually stock the stuff with extra chemicals that you donÂt want on your hostas. Both places should be able to easily order a 40 or 50 pound bag for you, and although itÂs probably gone up in price since I last bought it, that size used to be about $10. Hope that helps. It's been almost two weeks now, and the new hostas don't have any new slug damage, so the bleach soak did the trick.

I am referred to as "the tick magnet" in my household. It is not uncommon for me to walk across the lawn, spend 10 minutes in the veggie garden, and come in with a tick. I've gotten so I can spot a wood tick sitting on the top of a plant, waving its little legs and waiting to grab hold. I'm going to repeat what I said in the post from last fall that Claire linked. I live on an old farm with a mix of field, brushy growing-up field, and woods. I use bug dope with DEET, though I put it only on my clothing and I don't always use it. I own several pairs of the pyrethrin impregnated socks and I tuck my pant legs into them. (Along with my bug net during black fly season I usually look pretty dorky when I am out in the garden.) I don't really worry about ticks because during the height of the season I might find 6 or 8 on me over the course of a day, but I do take them seriously. Instead of worrying, I do a complete visual and touch check whenever I come into the house in the spring and fall. Clothes get stripped off and examined along with my body. I again do a complete visual and fingertip check at bedtime every night (until it gets too cold for the ticks to be active) standing nekkid in front of a mirror so that I can see places like under my arms and the middle of my back, etc. in case I missed any the first time around. I also comb my hair with a comb having close-set teeth and do a careful touch examination of my entire scalp. Clothing I take off doesn't go into the bedroom. I view that nightly 15 minutes as the dues I pay for being able to get out beyond the lawn areas at my house. When we first moved here I used to freak out about getting a tick, but there are so many (mostly wood ticks, though there are some deer ticks) that I just don't have the energy to get worked up about them. I'd rather put the energy in to doing careful checks afterwards since it takes a day or more for a tick to get seated and spread disease. I do this check religiously, every single night, even if I have not worked in the garden. It's part of my bedtime routine, like brushing my teeth. It is my understanding (and fits in with my observations here) that rodents are a large part of the cause of the "deer" (more accurately referred to as "black-legged") tick problem, so the tick tubes, which target the application of permethrin specifically to rodents, make good sense. I haven't used them, however, and studies vary in their evaluation of effectiveness. Last season was the first we had appreciable numbers of black-legged ticks, so we are just starting serious consideration of management for them. I haven't previously seen reference to nematodes as good for controlling ticks, so I did some reading. It seems like around here they aren't too effective since nematodes live in the soil, and when are ticks are in or on the ground, it's too cold for the nematodes to be effective. They are also more effective on adults that the nymphs that often spread disease. However, I did come across a fungus that it supposed to be better in this part of the country, Metarhizium anisopliae, that has met with EPA approval for tick control. Unfortunately, it appears to still be in the product development stages. As others have mentioned, keeping areas with brush or long grass mowed will help reduce shelter areas for ticks, and reducing areas like stone walls where rodents hide will help as well.

if your settings are correct, then it's probably something with your browser, junk, or security settings (shrugs)

Linda, even though I addressed you in agreeing that I like Grover’s advice too, I certainly didn’t mean to make you feel like my comments were intended for you in a personal way. I’m so sorry if it came across like that. —- I’m just fumed up about Houzz constantly changing things and I guess my hope was that they are listening ;)) . Maybe I can find a way to contact them directly, but they don’t make that aspect user-friendly either. — Again, sorry. Nothing personal intended.