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Striped Cucumber Beetles
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Posted by mulchwoman metuchen,nj (My Page) on Thu, Jul 14, 05 at 11:33
Hi
I am posting this here as well as NJ gardening because for the first time ever I have striped cucumber beetles eating the flowers on my melon vine. Is there any control (other than picking and squashing, which I have tried to do, but they are soooo fast) that I could use.
Thanks in advance
Pat |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Striped Cucumber Beetles
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I'm having the same problem on my cucumbers and zucchini here in MA. I started picking them off after sundown with a headlamp on (they can't really see me coming and just sit there, easily picked off) and then again in the early morning when they seem to be slow from the cooler nighttime temps or something.
I'd been doing this for about a week and noticed that they kept coming in greater numbers. Finally, I had enough and just last night after sundown, I sprayed the leaves with a product called Bon-neem. It's an insecticidal soap with neem tree oil that is diluted with water and sprayed on.
I checked the plants this morning and saw only two beetles that were scurrying around the leaves but nothing close to the number I had before I sprayed.
I am either going to try to spray some more if the numbers increase or try spraying some rotenone, which I heard works well. My biggest concern is that the plants will get infected with bacterial wilt and so I am not totally sure if I should be trying to zap them all or if it's okay to have one or two still around. |
RE: Striped Cucumber Beetles
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| Check at Our Garden Pests for more information about thesse buggers. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Our Garden Pests
RE: Update! .....Striped Cucumber Beetles
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| I have an update on my cucumber beetle battle. When the sun went down today I went out to see if the beetles were back and they were.
Clearly, I'm not very happy about that.
For tonight, I sprayed more Bon-neem to coat the ones that are there and hopefully take them out of the breeding population. I am new at this organic stuff and the learning curve is pretty steep right now. I just learned that insecticidal soaps (Bon-neem) are best when applied directly to the insects to kill them. My next step is to go out and buy something with rotenone in it. I am not excited about using it, as it will kill other beneficial insects, but it's all I can do now. |
RE: Striped Cucumber Beetles
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| I know that many people can't have chickens, but boy do they get rid of cucumber beetles. I have a 2,500 sq ft organic garden and I've had a CB infestation. I tried Rotenone twice. It worked, but I need to keep applying it and that gives me the willies. I know it is organic approved, but it goes against my basic principles of not messing with the ecosystem. I've been holding off on letting my chickens into the garden until plants were well established. Also, wasn't sure if they would do more damage than good. Well, as the CBs multiplied, I decided any damage inflicted by the chickens was worth it. I let all 23 into the garden this morning, and NO MORE CUCUMBER BEETLES!!!! Amazing. They did scratch up my mulch hay and nibbled on the brocolli leaves, but well worth it! Hooray for chickens! |
RE: Striped Cucumber Beetles
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I got on here because I'm swarmed with Cucumber beetles on my young, just beginning to flower cukes and pumpkins. I have never seen so many and I had plenty of Pyola by Gardens Alive, which is pyrithrins in a canola oil base. I sprayed the heck out of them a few munutes ago. Has anyone had experience with Pyola and Striped Cucumber Beetles? I'll let you know how it works out!
Debbie |
RE: Striped Cucumber Beetles
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| oh, cindy, I am so paranoid about the chickens tearing up my garden!!! I am having such problems with cuc beetles and squash bugs! I sell my produce so I am very worried about what may happen if I let them into the established plantings. Did you just let them in there to "flash graze" or are you going to let them back in? |
RE: Striped Cucumber Beetles
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| I've tried diatomaceous earth, it seems to be under control now. |
RE: Striped Cucumber Beetles
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| Hi - I am new to this forum but am experiencing an onslaught of (extremely fast) striped cuke beetles in my thriving winter squash plantings! I am afraid they will spread to my melons and cukes, which are still producing. I sprayed with Pyola two days ago and yesterday the beetles were still feasting on the blossoms of the winter squash and some had spread to other cucurbits! I will spray again today with a 2% Pyola solution and add molasses and lemon oil as a "sticker" and surfactant. Am also interested in others' experience with Pyola (as a last resort, sans chickens.) Thanks! |
RE: Striped Cucumber Beetles
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hello all! my beetles have officially arrived!
found them mating on my cucumber plants last night. now, didn't i read somewhere that it is too late for that? i don't think they were riding each other for the heck of it. so, what to i do now? pick individually? have they already laid their eggs? my blooms have just begun. i probably had 30 on my cuke plants (3) and one or two on my acorn squash. i now know what has been eating my beans during the day! the link above said lacewings larvae will eat cb larvae! i did find two of those adults on my cucumbers (big smile) last night as well. this actually made me leave the cb's alone, but now i am worried! |
RE: Striped Cucumber Beetles
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| ok, i looked last night and recovered from my temporary insanity. i can't count how many i hand picked! question, are the striped ones with the overly fleshy posterior "gravid" females??? |
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