something is biting through the stems on my coneflowers and killing them. Anyone know what the culprit could be?

Question

Have purple cone flowers and black eyed susans and a couple inches from the base, stems are being chewed through.  There is also leaf damage and some pumpkin seedlings are getting eaten.  I have tried several insecticides to no avail and can't figure out what's doing this.

Answer 1

check next to the root ball for a small slug--- it will continue to move to the next plant

Answer 2

after the sun goes down have ready a mix of 1 teasp liquid kitchen soap & 1 qt water and spray everything.....................if you see any slug...........use a plastic glove and put them into warm water & soap...they die immediately......

If its a rabbit they don't like blood meal...............this stinks, so use gloves & mask and sprinkle around those plants............It also could be a deer....in the soap mix put a couple of drops of hot sauce.......deer will eat anything......they don't like hot sauce..but after it rains reapply the soap/water hot sauce mix.