Question
Help! My garden was plagued with leaf-footed beetles this year.  The okra and squash were always covered with them, but they seemed to avoid the tomatoes.  None of the local hardware stores or gardening gurus now what to do about them.  This is the first year I have experienced them.  One internet source said to plant sunflowers away from the garden which will attract the beetles away, but I can't put sunflowers far enough away from my garden where it will not interfere with my neighbors garden.

Any help would be appreciated so i can have a mor productive garden next year.
Thanks!

Answer
Jeff,

I think you mean leaf-footed bug rather than beetle. At any rate, neem oil insecticide would be a good choice as a low toxicity insecticide. You'll probably need to re-apply once a week as long as the bugs are a problem. Here's an article about neem oil insecticide http://www.livingwithbugs.com/neem_oil.html with information about how to use it in the garden.

I hope this is useful.

Jack DeAngelis
http://www.livingwithbugs.com