Yikes! Me too. However, mine are in a raised bed in an urban setting. I live in downtown Mechanicsburg, PA. I blamed it on the feral tomcat that lives next door. The stems looked like they were crushed down. I had noticed a bit of powder mildew on some of the leaves, but didn't think too much of it after I clipped them off. I do have weed mesh under the boxes, but not the heavy black plastic. My first attempt at organic gardening has not been great...lack of fruits on squash, zucchini and cukes...left the beans on the vine too long...second generation of tomatoes hard, easily split, and some beetles infesting. Herbs, spinach, and lettuce did GREAT, however! Well, lessons are being learned, and maybe next year will be better!

Interesting . . . I was trying to grow from seeds and noticed these little black bugs devouring everything . . . they seemed to go away eventually . . . I decided to buy some ponypac starter plants (cucumber, yellow squash and zucchini) they were all thriving and flowering, doing great, then almost over night they started dying . . . I just noticed that the little black bugs are back . . . they look and swarm almost like small black ants, but they have wings and can at least jump a bit . . .

Oh, also, they left they strange curvy lines all over the leaves . . .

thoughts, suggestions for repellents?