thanks Doug for the helpful advice (also pass it along to your mate). you know i'll give it a shot. i actually did have a poor little disabled ladybug(her carapace was crushed but she carried on for almost two weeks), taking on the AC (Aphid Cong), and we mourned her passing. still do now that the chartreuse meanies have overrrun the garden. i'll access my filing cab for that garlic spray. one more note: the guy downstairs is my little brother (hardly small he's 6 ft and 250 lbs), but his patio has already become a repository for snails, etc. that i pitch over the rail. i consider it payback for all the sibling rivalry i endured for the 18 yrs+ we've lived together. what's he gonna do? tell mom?