Whats this insect on the cucumber and question about maturity

11 years ago

I noticed this insect on the cucumber tendrils today.

It is green, with long monsquito like legs and 1-2 mm in length. Did not see more of them . (though its quite possible there are more and I cant spot them. What bug is this? Do I need to take care of it with some insecticide? Will it eat the plant?

Also, the plant information says matures in 65 days. What does that mean? Does that have any correlation with when the fruit will ripen?

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Comments (6)

cole_robbie
11 years ago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid
Moz Tn
Original Author
11 years ago
thanks Cole_Robbie .. aphids they are and in large numbers too :( Under the tomato leaves I am seeing a lot of them .. (None under the cucumber leaves though) Now to figure out what is the most effective and least repetitive way to control those things. So far I have seen hosing the plant (when the aphids get washed out to the soil, do they die or climb back up?), insecticide soap, tomato leaves spray, garlic spray, ladybugs .. What is the consensus approach to controlling aphids?
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Thanks Felix and Anna. :-) I had no idea about the electricity issue and red ants - I'll keep an eye out for them. I don't have them in the yard at this point. I've been bitten by them before and they hurt like a beastie. I did see a few mounds this spring but with your explanation Anna I think they were regular non-harmful ants. They are gone now and haven't returned. I'll keep an eye out and watch my ants from now on. Also looks like I've got a bit of research ahead of me. Never thought I'd have to learn about ants. :-p Anna, do you find that the white moth like insects cause any harm? I kind of like how they swirl about when I walk but I don't want to encourage a bad bug or an invasive bug. In Portland I used absolutely no pesticides. I controlled the bug population with plants and natural means. I'm not too keen on chemicals because of how they tend to leech into the water tables and affect things beyond the intended target. For example, I used allium and marigolds to control aphids and ants. I encouraged butterflies by planting liatris. For honey bees, lots of various flowers that they could feed and be happy fat bees. I want to repeat that here if possible. I'm not a big chemical fan. The only time I ever used chemicals in Portland was to kill a hornets nest.
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howelbama
11 years ago
A good blast from the hose every now and then usually does the trick. Soapy water can work well also. Ladybugs are great,but usually fly away quickly, so not really worth the money...but if there are some around, move them in to your container and they may help a bit.
Moz Tn
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks Howelbama. So the plants don't break any leaves/branches with the powerful spray? Also, I think I will need to hold the branch so that I am hitting the underside of the leaves with the nozzle. (I will try some branches to see how much pressure I need to use .. This seems to be something I need to do with lot of care). Also do the washed off aphids die in the grow media? or can they climb back on to the plants

Are these carried by nursery plants? Or do their eggs/larvae float in the air to infest new locations? So if I grow everything from seed, would I not have to worry about these guys? (for next year ..)

Thanks ..
howelbama
11 years ago
Well, don't use so much force that you damage the foliage.. I'm not sure if they will climb back up, I suppose they may, but if you keep disrupting them, they should not get out of control... Starting from seed may help,a bit, but they likely will migrate in one way or another. Encouraging beneficials is the best thing to do for control....daddy long leg spiders love them, so any of those guys you happen across, move them in to your garden and they will likely help you out a bit. In fact, any spiders will be of great help, so you should keep them around when you see them...unless it's a black widow or something, in that case get get rid of it safely lol...
dickiefickle
11 years ago
KInd of funny but if you read the suggested Aphid link in Wikipedia all these questions are answered

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Whats this insect on the cucumber and question about maturity

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cole_robbie

Moz Tn
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howelbama

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Whats this insect on the cucumber and question about maturity

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cole_robbie

Moz TnOriginal Author

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howelbama

Moz TnOriginal Author

howelbama

dickiefickle

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Moz Tn
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