The squirrels have been exonerated

So a day after putting the cages around the pole beans and the dahlias, all of the 2 & 3 day old beans were completely eaten, even though the cages were still in place.  I guess the squirrels have a pretty good alibi.

Additionally, we only have one Dahlia left.   They were all eaten before I got the cages on, but it doesn't look like any more shoots are coming up.  The one Dahlia that still lives on is the one all the way in the front, and it makes things more confusing.  Why just one?.  

So either:

1. It is the squirrels that ate the dahlia's, but something else that ate the beans and squash, or
2. The squirrels are not to blame at all, and that dahlia in the front survived because it is the only one in full sun.   I'll get to the full sun theory next. 

Who was it?  I hit the web, and it seems that these are all potential culprits:

• Slugs
• Earwigs 
• Pill bugs (Roly Polys)

One thing that resonated when I was reading about what could be eating the dahlias, is the sun/shade issue.  I read that often, the shady places make a very habitable environment for all three of the critters listed above.  The slugs in particular, I read, will eat the dahlia shoots before they even reach the surface.  

So while some would throw in the towel at this point, I bought 3 more dahlia plants online, and this stuff called Sluggo.  It is basically Iron Phosphate, and it is organic and pet/bird friendly.  The reviews on amazon and around the web were really good, so I'm giving it a try.  As soon as it arrives, I'll lay it down and then sow another set of pole beans and squash.  I will not give up (yet)!