Anyone else in NH/MA NOT seeing cucumber beetles this year?

11 years ago

For the past 20 years I have battled cucumber beetles here in Southern NH. They always appear in early June and first go to my tomatillo plants and then to my cucumbers. This year I have not seen a single beetle. I figure either:

1. The wacky May weather messed up their lifecycle.

2. The herb garden I started last year and is now established is attracting some sort of natural enemy or producing a scent they don't like.

I am hoping it's #2. If anyone in the area is seeing the usual hordes of them I'd love to know.

FYI - The herbs I planted are (all perennials and tolerate partial shade):

Angelica, Bee Balm, Catmint, Thyme, Sage, Hyssop and Lovage.

Comments (12)

jonfrum
11 years ago
I'm in Dedham MA and I haven't seen any either.
Joe1980
11 years ago
They came here, where I've never had problems with them. They probably followed the squash vine borers and squash bugs, things I've also not had.

Joe
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brighteyesLC7
11 years ago
Last year here in CT my potatoes were covered! This year I've seen 2... all together! I did rotate and use a new (special for NE) variety, so I thought it might be that. Good to year they're not bothering you either!
sandgroper1968
11 years ago
They're all vacationing in my garden, on the north side of Chicago. I'll remind them to send you a postcard :)
aloha10
11 years ago
Here in Fairhaven near Cape Cod, I haven't seen a one!. I still used floating row covers over my plants from germination until blossom time. We have been recently changed from zone 6 to 7 by dept. of ag. Hope SVB skips us this year as well. I have also noted lots of my perennial flowers are bug free this year. The Permethrin sprayer rests silently in the back of my garden shed. May it do so for the rest of the season.
omega73
11 years ago
Lucky you, I guess they all moved north to Quebec because they already got to my cucumbers. (see related post I started a few days ago, http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cornucop/msg0700352314496.html?9)
shebear
11 years ago
I haven't seen many down here in North Texas either. Even the squash bugs haven't been as bad as normal. Wish the vine borer would be as scarce.
jludman
11 years ago
Derry, NH. Got spotted and striped here. 3 separate patches of cukes, and they obliterated 2, despite daily manual control. They're attacking the zucchini and summer squash as well. Sevin in the morning as I saw 2 fornicating on the 3rd patch of cucumbers, which is actually thriving enough to make inspection difficult. Lost all my pumpkins in early September last year to them and the wilt...
ltilton
11 years ago
Almost none here, west of Chicago. The few that I've seen were in the corn.
glib
11 years ago
None in SE MI, which means I will get cukes this year. I think it was the very warm March, followed by two strong freezes in April. Last year, every squash blossom had one.
hp_MA6b
11 years ago
Here in Belmont, MA, I haven't seen any so far this year.
qbush
11 years ago
In Boxford MA I have them in the greenhouse, Diva, and outside in lemon cukes. We are still eating cucumbers, but the vines don't look very good. Seriously thinking of cutting down the GH Diva crop to three or four leaves, spraying with kaolin and watching the results. Any other ideas?