Help with a little bug problem

This is my first in city garden in ground and not in pots. Florida is pandorias box for bugs I know. I worked for several years at a nursery and was up to date at curent peaticides then. I don't want to kill a bunch to get of a smaller problem. Last year sister did give me a few cantilope plants and I did plant them in the ground. Cutworms took them out in two days. I put my tender plants with a coffee can around it no problem. I have been using the look, pluck, and step on method for locas and tomatto worms. Now my major concern. I have rollie pollie bugs and tiny black ants 1/16 or so long. The rollies run around in the leaf mulch, the small ants run around on my squash. Hey I have no affads. My squash are growing great with booms on this week. The leaves on some are getting some tiny to 1/4 inch holes in them. There is no other visabble critters on leaves except the ants. the plants are doing great except for the holes. I have a small 9 X 24 foot garden with leaf lettuce and tomattoes on eather side. Can I treat the squash with out chemicals,let wellenough alone,let the squash get munched on. Any help would be greatly appreachated. thanks!!!

If the holes are round, then you probably have "flea beetles." If the plants are growing well, they should survive without pesticides. Encourage birds into your garden, especially Wrens - they love to hunt amongst the veggies, snapping up anything edible they can find for their babies.

It could be flea beetles. Look very slowly and carefully at each leaf in the damaged area for a black dot not much bigger than a pin head. If the dot leaps away when you try to grab it, its a flea beetle. I get them on my tomatoes sometimes, usually in early June. A few FBs won't do much harm to a well established plant, but an infestation or an attack on seedlings may need to be dealt with. I have had good results using DE (Diatomaceous Earth) which is not a pesticide and is super safe. This link documents my efforts.

Ed

http://www.epinions.com/review/Concern_Diatomaceous_Earth_Crawling_Insect_Killer/content_236400840324

Thanks Honeybee. I have a group of sparroes Ithink, they peck around every afternoon. They are small birds with gray and red brown markings. They live next door and I built a bird house last week to attract others. They love my Akitta's sheaded hair. They peck around the garen and share the dogs waterbowl. I hope they eat bugs too Thanks again.

Thanks Wulfsden. Fleas on the dog and now maybe on my squash Lord have mercy !!! The pants in queston are blooming and about two feet around . Just a few leaves effected on this. I do have two more sets started two weeks apart from each other to closley watch. thanks for the produact info.

crazyfish, from what you have described, I would say your birds are House Finches. As far as I know they only eat seeds - here's a link so you can identify them:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Finch/id

They are a favorite food of Red Tailed Hawks