Cucumber Beetles

Credit: USDA

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Here are tips on how to identify, eliminate, and control cucumber beetles.

What are Cucumber Beetles?

Cucumber Beetles are found throughout the US and cause much of the same damage as flea beetles do. They are attracted to Cucurbit vegetables, namely cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, and beans. Adult females lay their eggs at the bases of the plants they feed on, and hatched larvae burrow in the soil, feeding on root systems before traveling up the plant or vine. Most damage is caused to the foliage. They hold another threat too: the can carry bacterial diseases and viruses from plant to plant, most specifically mosaic virus.

How to Identify Cucumber Beetles

Adult Cucumber Beetles are about ¼ inch long and have a yellow and black striped abdomen. Look for holes and yellowing and wilting leaves. Crop yield will be low; and plants will produce yellow and stunted fruits. The larvae of Cucumber Beetles cannot survive on non-Cucurbit plants, and will also suffer in sandy soil.

Often, the Cucumber Beetles alone will not kill the plants or cause major damage, but the spread of disease will. Adult cucumber beetles overwinter in weeds, garden debris and woody areas. The diseases they carry can also overwinter internally, and can be passed onto plants the next spring through fecal matter.

How to get rid of Cucumber Beetles

• One way to combat emerging Cucumber Beetles is to cover seedlings with mesh netting. Be sure to remove to allow pollination.
• If you till your garden in the late fall, you will expose Cucumber Beetles hiding there to harsh winter conditions and reduce their populations next year. Tilling has the added benefit of making the soil easier to work in the spring.
• Where cucumber beetles are a problem, let the beetles come out of hiding and plant late. They have a knack for finding vulnerable seedlings. When yours are up and growing, the cucumber beetles will be gone, fooled into thinking you don't have any cucumbers in your garden.
• Please contact your local cooperative extension for a list of approved insecticides for your area.
   

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