DEAR SUN SPOTS: I want to know if the TV Guides are still being published. I have not seen any in the stores. I have been collecting the Fall Previews for years. Also, I can’t find Bufferin anywhere. Is that still being made? I take it for headaches. — No name, Lewiston
ANSWER: Sun Spots is not sure why TV Guides are not available in stores. You might want to ask at the customer service desk when you go shopping. If you have internet, the fall preview for 2023 is available online at tvguide.com. According to the website, “the ongoing actors and writers strikes for fair compensation have decimated network schedules, which are now full of strike-proof programming, better known as reality and game shows. But streaming and cable still have a number of great shows to get excited for.” Scheduled to air during the last few months of 2023 are “Sex Education,” “Our Flag Means Death” and “The Morning Show” (returns), “Gen V” (spinoff), “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (reboot), “The Changeling,” “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “Fellow Travelers” (adaptations).
If anyone knows where this reader can find a print copy of the guide, please write in!
As for Bufferin, the website www.mojotimes.com reported in July 2022 that drugmaker Novartis recalled several pain medications, including Excedrin and Bufferin, because they might have been mixed with prescription-strength painkillers in their Lincoln, Nebraska, plant. Other buffered aspirins are available. You may want to consult your pharmacist.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I too have battled Japanese beetles and have learned some things along the way. The biggest lesson I learned was never, never use beetle traps. Yes, you will catch tons of beetles and you will think you are getting rid of all your pests. You are not. The traps will draw beetles to your traps from all over (not just your own yard) and you will never be completely free of them again. Here are the two best non pesticide ways I have used to control beetles:

1. The water bucket with dish liquid, as people have mentioned. I find the best time is early in the morning because the beetles are sluggish and don’t fly away, so you are able to catch more.

2. The second way is to spray them with cooking spray. Buy a cheap can of spray and spray them. Beetles love my basil, and the spray worked well on these. You’ll need to respray whenever more beetles come.

I have also sprayed different types of bugs on my squash and cucumbers with vegetable oil, but I bet the cooking spray would work, too. Just spray the bugs and try not to saturate the leaves, unless your leaves are turning brown and going to die anyway. — No name, no town

ANSWER: Thank you for writing in! It seems these destructive beetles are a problem best dealt with in the spring and summer.

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