One idea to control non-flying bugs is to put a border made out of planks around your vegetable beds. Make sure that the planks connect at the edges, and are firmly embedded in the ground, so it isn't easy to crawl under them.

Now for the crucial bit; line the outside and top of the planks with teflon foil. Tack it to the planks low down (in or near the soil) and over the top on the other side. This stuff is so slippery that even a gecko won't stick to it. Bugs won't be able to climb over it.

Of course this is only a partial solution; it won't deter flying bugs, nor bugs that drop down from overhanging other plants.

I'll bet that would work with slugs, which we luckily don't have a problem with. All of our bad bugs seem to be either fliers (cabbage worms are the larvae of butterflies) or come from the soil at the base of the plants. People often put floating row covers over their plants to prevent the fliers from getting in, but I think it's too much trouble when their depredations are so minimal.

I saw on Small Farming Permaculture blog (http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com/natural_flea_killer.html) a few weeks ago about getting rid of some pests on various animals, that using FOOD GRADE diatomaceous earth interrupts pest digestive systems and remedies things fairly fast. I was thinking if it works on animals why not plants? It doesn't take more than a dusting on damp leaves and should work on these bugs as well as the ticks and lice that infest various farm animals. It even contains minerals the plants like.

Define "major hindrance." We haven't gotten more than a squash or two from any of our plants for the past 5 years. Are there any non-toxic ways to deal with these nasty creatures? We are pretty cool with searching out and pulling off the green caterpillars that eat part of our tomato plants every year but the squash vine borers are just heinous. I love squash and zucchini and I want to eat them from my own garden!!

Vester, I've read various things about diatomaceous earth, but only in passing. I think some people may use it for flea beetles, but I'm not sure what else.

Lindsey --- yup, squash vine borerers are devastating!!! We're still working out how to deal with them, but this is what we've come up with so far:

• Spray with Bt once a week and after every rain. This is a lot of work with even a few large squash plants, and I don't know how much good it actually does, and Bt is organic and supposedly non-harmful to anything except caterpillars but I still don't like it. We do it anyway, because it's the best we've come up with.

• Plant resistant varieties. Butternut seems to plug along pretty well even with a mild vine borer infestation since it has tough, semi-solid stems. I just read that Yellow Crookneck squash may be somewhat resistant --- next year, we'll be trying some of that!

• Last year, we had good luck giving up on our main crop of summer squash and planting new ones at the beginning of August. This gave us one big flush of squash before the frost, which was much appreciated. Possibly we could have planted a bit earlier, but I don't know how early. Some places say you're safe to plant after the fourth of July, but that would, of course, depend on what part of the country you live in.

If you come up with any other control techniques, please let us know! Squash vine borers and asparagus beetles are currently my archnemesis!

According to the wikipedia article on squash vine borers, wrapping the stem with nylon stockings or aluminum foil helps.

I should try those --- I'd heard about them, but it seemed like a lot of work! On the other hand, never getting good squash is a pain.