This means that I'm not going to try to save any of my flowering plants (Petunias, Calibrachoas, Geraniums, Zinnias, and Begonias) currently on the deck. My Hibiscuses, a couple of Sunpatiens, two Zinnias & a single "Holy Smoke" Calibrachoa are all already indoors. My move to abandoning so many other plants on the deck is a radical change from previous Falls.

With the above pests being impossible to get rid of (if they somehow manage to end up in an indoors setting), I'm being forced to leave most all of my plants, summering-outdoors, outside to freeze to death this year. These insects will hide in the plant soil and continue to propagate if they aren't frozen by tempts in the teens. Then, you're stuck with them forever!!!

Supposedly prolonged temperatures lower than 20F degrees outdoors should kill off these caterpillars and moths. I sure hope so. Nothing else has worked!!! I've tried all the recommendations, but even the experts say that those usually don't work. Plus, if any treatments do work, it's only temporary.

Next Spring, all the infected soil (even if it does freeze hard over the Winter) will be deposed of and replaced. After that, I can only hope that a brand-new generation of budworms don't find its way to my newly purchased 2024 plants.

2023 was the first year that I've ever had a problem with these highly destructive insects. Fingers crossed that this year was an anomaly. However, with Global Warming, our area may now be in the cross hairs like the Deep South. So many warmer climate problems have been moving farther and farther northward. Plus, worsening in the South. Many southern gardeners have totally stopped growing petunias and geraniums because budworms are such a common problem where they live.