They may also show up onsquash,pumpkins, andmelonsbecause these insects eat any member of the cucurbit family.
A few easy prevention techniques can help you avoid or reduce an infestation, but you must act early.
Heres how to eliminate cucumber beetles on your plants and minimize the damage.
Credit: Justin Hancock
What Are Cucumber Beetles?
There are two distinct species of cucumber beetlesstriped and spotted.
Both types are yellow and black and about 14 inch long.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
The abdomen of the striped cucumber beetle isyou guessed itstriped yellow and black.
Its spotted cousin has a yellow abdomen with 12 black spots.
Immature beetles, or larvae, are whitish, about 38 inch long, and live in the soil.
The adult beetles overwinter in leaf litter or other plant debris.
What Do Cucumber Beetles Eat?
Beetles most often feed on leaves and can defoliate young plants when they are most susceptible.
The insects mostly feed from the underside of leaves, leaving holes and discoloration in their wake.
The beetles will move to stems, flowers, and fruit if populations are high.
Removeinfected cucumber plantsto help prevent further spread of the disease.
Cucumbers and muskmelons are more susceptible to bacterial wilt than other cucurbits.
One important approach is to choose varieties that are less attractive to beetles.
That can help prevent issues before they even begin.
Much of the Blue Hubbard squash will be damaged but that is its purpose, explains Brust.
Row covers are a great way to prevent an infestation.
If you find beetles on your plants, you have several options to reduce their populations.
You should monitor your plants frequentlyat least every couple of days.
You may find it easier to pick them off if you wear gloves coated with petroleum jelly.
you might also use yellow sticky traps to capture them.
Several natural predatorsfeed on cucumber beetles, including ladybugs, braconid wasps, and green lacewings.
Avoid spraying if you see predators in action.
