the tons of red bugs that appear every year on the stems of my heliopsis are a real pain. i wage a war which i usually win! i fill a plastic pail with a few inches of water,
and proceed to bend each stem into the water swishing as i go. the bugs fall to the bottom. then flush the water in the toilet and repeat until every stem has been similarly swished. i have 3 large plants and it takes about 1/2 hour in total. i repeat the next 2 days (far fewer bugs by then) and by day 4, i declare myself the winner!
