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The Cucumber beetle is acommon pests throughout most of the United Statesand southern Canada east of the Rocky Mountains .
Cucumber beetle spread plant disease and lay waste to a encompassing variety of cucurbit crop in both menage gardens and commercial farms .
In this article , we will see the property of the cucumber mallet and share advice on keeping them under restraint in your farm or garden .
What Do Cucumber Beetles Look Like?
There are two eccentric of cucumber beetles :
The spotted cucumber beetle is also call the southern clavus rootworm .
Striped cucumber mallet are about a fifth of an in long . They are xanthous - unripe and have three lengthways black chevron .
Another plague , the western corn rootworm mallet , is similar in appearing but does not damage vine crops . You may chance this dirt ball feeding on cucurbit flower pollen .
To tell the difference between the stripy Cucumis sativus mallet and the western corn rootworm mallet , look at the stomach .
Western Zea mays rootworms have yellow - light-green underbellies . stripy cucumber beetle have black underbody .
The spotted cucumber mallet is also yellowish - green but has a dozen black spots rather of stripes .
The Life Cycle Of The Cucumber Beetle
full-grown female cucumber vine mallet repose orchis at the base of the plant upon which they feed .
When larvae hatch and emerge , they feed on the roots of the host plant for two or three workweek before they start out their pupation form .
This also takes place in the ground soil surrounding the base of the host flora .
The clime see how many generations the beetles may produce annually . In some areas the weather is too cold for the grownup to overwinter at all .
In these areas , adult may transmigrate south for the winter and return in the spring .
In other country , adult beetles may live for a couple of long time and produce half a dozen generation per growing time of year .
What Does The Cucumber Beetle Eat?
When spring comes , the adults wake or return and begin feeding on the pollen and leaves of a wide variety of shrub , trees and weeds .
However , cucumber beetle prefer cucurbits because of the chemical ( cucurbitacin ) which they make .
Other types of vegetation affirm the beetle until their favored meal become uncommitted .
fully grown beetles especially delight junket on the leafage , blossom and fruit of cucurbits such as :
Damage : It is entirely potential for the adult beetles to kill young plants as they give .
Although larvae feed on the origin of fledged cucurbit plant , this does not do much damage to the plants .
If the flora have low - hanging right fruit that rests on the soil the larvae may also chew holes in it .
Bacterial Wilt
Although these pests do cause a neat deal of verbatim strong-arm damage , that ’s not the worst of the job they cause .
In addition to masticate up leave , bloom , tooth root and fruit , cucumber beetles convey Erwinia tracheiphila , a infective bacteria that is the drive of bacterial wilt in cucurbit crop .
Adult beetle pick up the bacterium by run through infected weeds early on in the season and then transmitting the bacteria to squash and melon plant when they become uncommitted .
When beetles eat on an septic plant life they beak up the bacteria with their mouthparts .
When they move on to bung on another works , it also becomes infected . The bacteria may also be transmitted through dejection .
Erwinia tracheiphila multipliesin the industrial plant ’ xylem .
This causes the xylem tissue to become clogged so that water and nutrients can not be delivered throughout the works .
This causes the plant to droop and eventually to expire .
How To Be Sure The Problem Is Bacterial Wilt?
You may mistrust that bacterial wilt has lead off when single sidelong leaves begin to droop . Soon after , the entire plant succumbs to wilt disease and perishes .
When you observe a wilted prow , snip it in one-half . hold in the cut end of the stem turn against the part that is still on the industrial plant .
Keep it in position for ten second and then pull it asunder slowly .
If you see something that looks like white string or spider ’s silk stretch out out between the two division of the root , you will know that the problem is bacterial wilting .
This syrupy cloth is a mixture of the sap of the industrial plant and the Erwinia tracheiphila bacterium .
This infection is a serious problem . Even if only about ten percent of the beetle bear upon your crop are taint with this bacteria , the damage it causes can be life-threatening . [ generator ]
Squash Mosaic Virus
Bacterial wilt does not typically affect pumpkins and squash , but it can involve other case of melons .
The cucurbits most severely affected by this sickness are Cucumis melo cantalupensis and cucumbers .
Squash are badly affected by squash mosaic computer virus , which cuke beetles also transmit . This get an ill called “ squash mosaic ” which affects all sorts of squash rackets and melons .
This disease manifest as reduced maturation and decreased take . It have fruit to become distorted , mottled and unmerchantable . [ root ]
Related : What stimulate Cucumber provide To twist Yellow ?
How To Control Cucumber Beetles
Once a plant is infect with bacterial wilt there is no Leslie Townes Hope for it .
That ’s why it is very important to set about cucumber mallet ascendance very too soon in the grow season .
The preferably you could stop them , the more command you will have over the spread of this pathogen and crush mosaic virus .
colligate : Tomato Mosaic Virus Symptoms and Control
Keep a sharp middle out for these pests . canvass your plants several times a workweek startle very early in the time of year .
particularly await around the edges of the fields as this is where they will first show up .
start out treatment the arcminute you see cuke beetles .
If the universe of beetles is allowed to increase , the likelihood of bacterial wilt transmission will also increase .
5 Tips For Organic Cucumber Beetle Control
White Kaolin Clay – 2 pound
Use Kaolin Clay to make a foliar spraythat move as a roadblock between plants and a smorgasbord of pestilence . The Lucius DuBignon Clay does not bolt down them , it just prevents the pest from consume leaves .
It is effective against :
… to name a few .
How To Use Kaolin Clay
To apply this natural foliar atomizer you just mix about three cups of the clay with a gallon of pee .
It ’s dear to do this by putting the clay in a dry bucket and then step by step stirring in the urine . This helps prevent clumps and flummox .
It ’s a good idea to cover your mouth and nose with a paint masquerade or bandanna while you do this to avoid breathe in the detritus .
Once you have your potpourri , put it in a handpump backpack sprayeror a unconstipated spray nursing bottle . utilise the mixture over all surface of your flora on an overcast day .
It is also potential to use this mixture as a “ dip ” for seedlings in trays :
When the mixture dry out it leaves a fine powder finish that baffles insects seeking a tasty cucurbit meal .
It ’s important to see that this is not a one - time fix . You ’ll need to spray about once a week and after every pelting . [ informant ]
Cultural Pest Control
Many small gardener have found that swim row covers do a good job of forbid cucumber beetle from accessing plants .
After the plants bloom , take the row get over off so that bees can pollinate . Alternately , you could hand - pollinate your plant if you only have a small mend of cucurbit .
Other non - chemical method acting of hold in these pests admit trap cropping and pile trapping .
These technique are an important part of an Integrated Pest Management ( IPM ) architectural plan that endeavor to control pestis using few or no toxic substances .
What Is Trap Cropping?
gob cropping is a decoy method acting that work by planting plants attractive to cucumber beetles around the border of the bailiwick or garden .
These flora lure the pests in and stop them from attacking the master crop .
When the insects conglomerate on the trap harvest plants they become “ sit down ducks ” .
The beetle are much easier to pick off or treat with neem rock oil or other insecticides when the beetle all pile up in one place .
What Plants Make The Best Trap Crop?
Lincoln University ’s IPM programme has been deal research on this topic for over 15 years . allot to these expert , the “ vegetable”Blue Hubbard squashis an all - clock time favorite of cucumber vine beetles . This makes it a brilliant selection to produce as a lying in wait harvest .
ambush cropping is beneficial in many ways .
Not only is it an effective way of getting rid of cucumber beetles ( and apropos mash bug ) it also helps farmers and gardeners save money and time through shorten use of insecticides and reduced labor battling bug .
to boot , maw cropping is not harmful to good insect and pollinator .
Some Farmer and gardeners using this method are able to leave behind their nutrient or cash in crops entirely pesticide - free and only handle the Blue Hubbard seedling with insecticide prior to imbed them out .
This reduces the chance of accidentally and negatively impact helpful dirt ball . to boot , this method farm uninfected , healthier cash or food crops .
Plant Trap Crops Before Cash Or Food Crops
Timing is of import in using trap crop . set out Blue Hubbard seedlings indoors late in winter or early in the spring .
The Blue Hubbard seedling should be at least two weeks old when you plant your cucurbit crop .
transfer the Blue Hubbard seedlings to the edges of your garden or field when you implant your cucumber , melon and squash seeds .
If you project to bulge your cucurbit crop using transplants , you must plant your Blue Hubbard squash a couple of weeks before you transplant your cucurbit crop .
How Many Trap Crop Plants Must You Plant?
You need n’t plant a big crop of Blue Hubbard squash . enquiry has indicated that just six or eight maw crop plants will effectively draw cucumber mallet away from as many as a hundred cucurbit plants of other varieties .
If you have a little garden or farm with cucurbits planted in rows with plastic mulch with drip mould irrigation , it is best to plant between two and four Blue Hubbard seedling at each end of every words . [ source ]
Traps Controls: What Is Mass Trapping?
Another method acting studied by the LU IPM program is mass trapping . This is a simple , but efficient technique that really supply power to your cucumber beetle battling arsenal .
These uncomplicated bunker are very attractive to both type of cucumber mallet and actually draw them away from your crops .
When the beetles enter the trap they eat up bait that has been lace with insecticide and then they decease .
These simple bunker are made up of three component :
A test conducted in 2011 resulted in the demise of 2531 cucumber beetles with the use of only 28 rally traps over a nine - day period of clip .
Another trial conduct in 2015 result in the demise of 3715 beetles in an eight week menses of time .
In both guinea pig , the mallet ascendency was effective enough to importantly reduce the want for insect powder .
Furthermore , this efficacious control ascertain that the crops being protect produced mellow lineament , humiliated - or - no insecticide , marketable yield .
For info regarding where to purchase the attractant and the stun pill , see Integrated Pest Management : University of Missouri [ rootage ]
What About Sticky Traps?
There are a number of videos and articles provide instructions for makingsticky trapsfor Cucumis sativus beetle .
By - and - large , gluey traps are never a practiced idea . These traps pose a chance to beneficial insects and other wildlife .
When using sticky lying in wait , you run a peril of circumstantially immobilize good dirt ball which help keep cucumber beetles under ascendance .
Among these areSoldier beetles , beneficial Tachinid flies , andBraconid wasps ( first-class for tomato hornworms too ) . Pollinators such as bee and butterflies are also put at risk by steamy cakehole .
Insecticides
It ’s loose to see that keep on cucumber mallet under ascendance is a very important aspect of foreclose physical crop damage and the spread of bacterial wilting and squash mosaic .
This can be quite difficult because cucurbits are very sensitive to chemical insecticides .
Use of pesticide can cause more damage than the beetles and the diseases they bring . It is especially of import to avoid Malathion as it will burn leave .
Carbaryl ( aka : Sevin ) is efficacious against cucumber beetles , but be sure to go for it at dusk to avoid contact with bees and other beneficial pollinators .
One product that is specifically contrive to dissemble cucumber beetles without dramatically sham bees is send for Adios ® .
This product is a combination of cucurbitacin and a very little dose of carbaryl .
The function of the cucurbitacin is to spur the beetle to eat compulsively . This causes them to consume aggregated quantities of the poison .
This combination specifically targets the pest and fend off harm beneficial worm . [ source ]
Controlling Cucumber Beetles With Integrated Pest Management
Cucumber beetle can be a real challenge for the family gardener and the commercial farmer .
Because the threats they present are multiple , it is very of import to hire a well - designed IPM programme that attacks them on multiple fronts at every phase angle of their lives .
By watching for them early and pick them off one - by - one , employing the help of good insects , using cultural and constituent ascendency method and become to safe pesticide as a last resort , you may boil down and control your cucumber vine mallet population .
