If they are yellow and black striped, they are cucumber beetles. Squash bugs are big, dark gray bugs that generally live in squash plants, although I have had them in cukes also. Cuke beetles also come in a yellow and black spotted variety. They are a pita to control, but I use a hand vac and dump them in soapy water to kill. We have lots of dragonflies here, and I suspect they help keep the numbers in check because I have noticed an inverse relationship in numbers of dragonflies vs cuke beetles. You could probably plant a Fall crop of cukes to help offset losses from your Summer crop if the timing is right.
Mrs H

Thanks Mrs H...

I guess I have cuke beetles then. I tried using the hand vac last night, but it wasn't recharged and so it didn't work. Going to try it again later. What is a 'pita' to control? Do you mean difficult to control?

Can anyone tell me when is the best time for me to find them on the plants? Are they out in the day or evening? Do they congregate on the back of the large leaves or around the flowers? So they don't eat the foliage right? I thought they just transmit disease and that is the problem with them? If that is the case, then wouldn't they have already transmitted it and is it really worth chasing them all over the plant every day? The plants are pretty large and branching out to beat the band and climbing a teepee. There are already fruits forming on it..but are tiny.

I have these bugs too. They like to hang out inside the flowers and I see them mostly in the morning. I try to catch them, but they fly off too quickly. I really don't have a good way to get rid of them.

The only cuke I grow is County Fair because it is highly resistant to the bacterial wilt that the cuke beetle spreads. It's a great cuke too.

Thanks vtfolkgirl....nice to have some idea when/where to look. What about trying the hand vac like Mrs H does?

Thanks for that info lacey...I think I have some county fair seeds and can't remember what I started. I forgot why I got those county fair seed. I will check and if I have any county fair seeds left, I am going to start some more in case these don't perform.

Thanks a lot!

I usually see cuke beetles in the morning congregating in the flowers. I take a short section of a drinking straw and tape it to the end of the hand vac nozzle, sealing it well so that the suction works. You can't get 'em all, in my experience, but you can definitely damage their numbers. Pita stands for pain in the a** (grin). I also use the hand vac without the straw for stink bugs, squash bugs, leaf-footed bugs, and other pests that don't move or fly too rapidly. It's my fave pest control tool these days.
Mrs H

sounds like the hand vac is a pita to me, just squeeze em between thy fingers. dont have to change nozzles

If you can fit your finger down into a cuke blossom without destroying the flower and the pollen, then you have tiny little fingers.
Mrs H

OK, I too am suffering under the assault--this is a new pest for me; never had them before yet this year, they're here in droves.

Here's what I do. I shake them out of the blossoms early in the morning and into my hand and then just roll them between my fingers to squash them. (Let me add that killing ANYTHING is a highly uncharacteristic thing for me to do, but these guys are decimating my plans--not just flowers, but the leaves.)

I have found them on zinnia leaves, my cukes, pumpkin, squashes and cataloupes. I have found them on my sunflowers as well. However, they clearly prefer the pumpkin, cukes, squash, melons.

My observations are as follows: (1) They congregate inside blossoms, as well as under leaves (look for the ones will a zillion toothmarks!!), inside the new leaves before they have unfurled, and at the base of the plant, at the soil-line; (2) when disturbed, they generally FIRST drop to the ground, THEN fly off; (3) when they drop to the ground, they often head to the base of the plant.

They are not that fast. It is like a game to catch and roll them bet. my fingers. I count while I play this game. I have found that a few fly off, but I manage to get most or many on any given "murder spree." I catch the majority of them when the fall to the ground during my attacks. Some I get on the blossoms and on leaves. A quick squish, a heartfelt apology to the bug, and on to the next victim.

They do seem more lethergic in the morning.

I manage to get 50-100 per day, with 3-4 outings at various points in the day. I have been doing this for over 1 week. I think I MAY be making a dent in their population. I do seem to be seeing fewer than a week ago...but perhaps this has something more to do w/ their lifecycle than my murderous efforts.

Bloomville...I am sorry you are having so many that you have to make such a concerted effort to do it. I have not been growing cukes/squashes etc much in the last few years, so I don't have a large population of them. My leaves hardly look touched and so far I have actually seen 4 bugs. But I so much appreciate all the details of how you are managing as I do want to take care of what I have and stay vigilant so I won't have a huge problem next year.

Keep up the good work and maybe in another week, you will have a much smaller number. Nice technique!

:-)

I'm trying diatomaceous earth now. My infestation isn't terrible, so I'm not sure that I'll get a definitive answer on its effectiveness.

I too have these beetles, though not in the numbers that some of you have. I have done two things, which seem to be working pretty well. The first thing I do in the morning (before 10 am ) is pick them off by hand. This is tedious, but effective. I stick what I get into an old wine bottle with a little water in the bottom. I do this before I water. I may repeat throughout the day if I have the time. The other thing I have started to do is trick them. I put out a few plastic yellow bowls, filled with water and dish soap. They seem to go to anything yellow (including my hibiscus flowers), so this works well. The major downside to this, is that it also attracts other species, such as tiny bees that you may want around for pollinating. Good luck :)