Squash Bug & Cucumber Beetle Alert
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
9 years ago
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Comments (8)
mksmth zone 7a Tulsa Oklahoma
9 years agoOkiedawn OK Zone 7
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Growing squash in spite of cucumber beetles?
Comments (31)The problem with cucumber beetles is not the feeding per se, but the transmission of Bacterial Wilt. It only takes one beetle with a dirty mouth to destroy your cucumber and/or muskmelon crop. That's why waiting until the things are in high numbers before you start control methods is a waste of time. Controlling cuke beetles organically is next to impossible. They have been the bedevilment of farmers for over a hundred years. Here is the first line from the section on cucumbers in Peter Henderson's book "Gardening For Profit" written in 1867. "The growing of the Cucumber out-of-doors is, in most places , occasioned by the attacks of the "Striped Bug."When seed is sown in the open ground, repeated sowings are often utterly destroyed by this pest, despite of all remedies." Here are the tricks I've learned to keep the evil ones at bay. Plant your cucurbits as early as possible. Fertilize them well and get them up and running as fast as possible. Use IRT mulch for melons. Use row cover until flowering. Plant a "trap" crop such as zucchini or Hubbard squash at the periphery of your garden early on so it is up and growing at the time your valued crop is still protected. As soon as you see any cucumber beetles on the trap crop, spray the entire crop with a pyrethrin such as bifenthrin. I spray at night using a flashlight to avoid hurting bees. 7 to 10 days later, check again. Any beetles, blast the trap crop. Keep blasting the trap crop until you see no more beetles. 5. Once your crops are exposed and you see any cuke beetles, you must spray them as well. I have found with the trap crop method, the beetles disappeared for most of the season. Cuke beetles are strong fliers and will arrive in you garden from neighboring overwintering sites. 6. Succession plant your cucumbers, summer squash. Once a plant is infected with bacterial wilt, you have about two to three weeks until the plant croaks. 7. For organic growers, kaolin clay works OK, but keeping the plants covered with kaolin diminishes photosynthesis and once the plants are sprawling, I found it difficult to cover the plants. I also found the beetles were still a problem, though less so. For the SVB, I spray with bifenthrin as well. I also, inject the vines with spinosad. I haven't lost a plant to SVB for 3 years since using this method. Hope this helps....See MoreKaolin Clay for flea/cucumber/Japanese beetles, squash borers
Comments (38)Spraying plants with bug juice, or leaving a can of dead bugs on display, can't hurt, and probably helps. I had read that the JB sends a scout and then the scout releases a scent telling others it's a good spot. My experience last year goes along with that. I was in the garden, one arrived and I hadn't yet set up my can. I was working on putting my glove on, but before I could, two more came, started sexing on a leaf, and then a bunch more piled on. I ran and set up the can and started flicking them in and kept the can at hand, but also on display in case there was some kind of scent of death. The first year I had JB, I got the scout and stepped on him, then left his body on the ground. I definitely think there's something to this, although I've never been able to catch cucumber beetles quickly enough. They're tricky....See MoreSquash bugs on the cucumbers, isn't it late?
Comments (12)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....See MoreControls for Stink Bugs & Cucumber Beetles
Comments (3)I believe this could work... My cukes were destroyed by wilt and I have noticed an abnormal amount of striped Cuke beetles this year. I would go out each morning and pick them off the vines/blossoms, often killing 50-60/day. I happened to find a couple pumpkin seedlings growing at our local compost/yard waste site, pulled them up and planted them at home. Ever since they started blooming, they are an easy target for the cuke beetles and much easier for me to find, trap and pick out of those huge blossoms. And, I seem to be finding fewer and fewer. I'm not sure why they are so bad this year but hopefully, my killing them off by the hundreds will make next year better, although I WILL be planting pumpkins again. They also like the big zucchini blossoms too but the stink/squash bugs are slowly killing them off. I have seen squash/stink bugs nymphs on my corn (as well as sunflowers and beans) so I suspect they would go for millet, which seems to resemble a corn plant somewhat. One interesting thing though: I have 2 pear trees: a European and Asian... the stink bugs (BMSB) only bother the Asian pear tree......See Morewulfletons
9 years agokfrinkle
9 years ago
Lisa_H OK
9 years ago
luvncannin
9 years agoOkiedawn OK Zone 7
9 years ago
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