Dyna-Gro packages cold-pressed neem oil. In a 1 quart spritzer bottle, mix: 1 pint very hot water 1 teaspoon neem oil (cold-pressed or virgin oil only - Dyna-Gro packages a very good product) 4 drops Murphy's oil soap (or dishsoap) Shake well and add 1 pint of 70% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. Spritz Shake frequently while spritzing. Be sure to cover the entire plant. Don't spray in full sun. A little more Murphy's is ok, but unnecessary if using the isopropyl. Repeat at 1-2 week intervals as needed. Copy paste to your browser: http://homeharvest.com/insectspraysneembased.htm Al

Malcolm Manners, thank you for pointing out the distinction between the two names. I checked the internet and apparently "biological index" is the general term and the two subterms are herbaceous index and woody index. Davis in their 2004 web article "The Rose Clean Stock Program" use the term "biological index". I am interested in any literature comparing the 2 subterms for rose virus testing. I did find the following for Rubus: "Transmission to herbaceous indicators CRLV, ApMV, BRLV (and indeed TSV in general) can be transmitted by inoculation of sap to herbaceous test plants and can usually be detected in this way. Grind rapidly growing leaves from Rubus plants to be tested in a small volume of 2%, nicotine solution with a little celite as abrasive. Gently rub this sap extract on leaves of young, soft, rapidly growing plants of Chenopodium quinoa and/or Cucumis sativus. Keep test plants in aphid-proof glasshouses at about 20°C and observe for symptoms over about 3 weeks, Symptoms caused by these viruses in inoculated leaves should be apparent in 4-10 days. BRLV and ApMV are probably best detected in very young cucumber cotyledons, but all viruses should induce symptoms in C. quinoa. All four viruses should become systemic in C. quinoa, but some strains of tobacco streak virus (BRLV is a strain of TSV) are not systemic in this host. Woody indicators While the nepoviruses and ilarviruses could be detected by grafting Rubus to woody indicators, there is no purpose in doing so for the alternative methods are much superior. In the case of RLCV, however, this is the only method of detection. Graft scions of test Rubus plants to Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry) which develops particularly severe symptoms. In general, R. idaeus can also be used. Symptoms may take 2-12 months to appear after graft inoculation. The two strains of RLCV (alpha and beta) are both detected." http://74.125.93.132/custom?q=cache:IolSYfkHYSoJ:archives.eppo.org/EPPOStandards/PM3_PROCEDURES/pm3-31-e.doc+rubus&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=google-coop ------------------------ "Rubus is a large genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae" from ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus ). Here is a link that might be useful: link for rubus indexing

Perhaps you have alcohol on hand. In your medicine cabinet, the same alcohol you'd use on a cut will kill those insects NOW. Use a cotton swab to get into tiny crevaces. To clean the leaves & stems you can dip either a piece of paper towel or an old toothbrush into the alcohol. They will die right before your eyes. You must check the undersides of the leaves too. There have been many posts lately on what to use to take care of scale and mealie bugs. You might want to do a search and read them. Since your plant is so infested you'll want to spray it well with the product of your choice and do it again in a few days to get the newly hatched. Watch the plant carefully, you may have to treat it several times at regular intervals. This may seem daunting, but once you've restored your plant you'll be happy to see it thriving again and there will be more flowers. Good luck. Sheila :)

We had/have a similar problem with St. John's Wort. It's dig, pull, repeat. The ground is likely good right now for doing this -- it looks like a total weekend project. We did this to our bed, but now I have planted grass in it so that I can mow any straglers. By the way, I have used the newspaper covered with a thick layer of mulch, etc. to smother nasty weeds in my veggie garden and it seems to have worked. This is just the second year so I'll see if my nasties return.