Striped or Spotted Cucumber Beetle

 This insect pest is worth knowing about. It is one of the worst in this area, and one of the first to become a pest! They come in spotted & striped versions. The striped most likely to winter over on the plant debris you tilled in, composted and refused to burn (per my order!) and the spotted most likely to blow in on the winds for the summer (yes, that's right....riding Jet blue) Normally you will see more striped than spotted in your garden.

By the time you notice the adult beetles, their game plan is already in play! See above diagram. They lay eggs at the base of plants, and as they hatch - the now larvae feed on the roots - and they emerge as adults to feed on leaves, stems & fruits.  

 The damage to the naked eye, might not seem that bad. Looking at the microscopic view below, you can see the damage they cause to the stem material. Ouch! Chewing on the stems, interrupts the flow of water and nutrients to the plant structure. The wound area also is exposed to drying sun any disease or virus on the wind. (blowing over from your uncomposted compost heap)

 Below, you can see how cuke beetles can skeletontize leaves. Their favorite plants are cantaloupe, squashes, pumpkins, to a lesser degree watermelon & of course cucumbers! I have seen them on almost every garden vegetable plant, so none are really safe. Many of the garden pests only target one type or family of plants, not so with these aggressive guys.

 Cuke beetles are 'chewing' insects. One of the other problems they cause is disease. They can carry virus & disease in their mouthparts, spreading it from plant to plant as they chew. A plant in the below condition.......is likely history. You should pull it up and destroy by burning or get it in the trash. Many vine crops will hang like this in the hot sun and perk up at night. The leaves hang to reduce their exposure to the sun if they are short on water. Plants are so smart! Knowing this, water them, then check for hanging leaves in the morning to decide if it's disease or hot sun making the leaves hang.

 Cuke beetles also feed on fruits, like here on the pumpkin (yes, a pumpkin is the botanical "fruit" of the plant) IS NO PART OF THE PLANT SAFE???   NOPE....

As soon as you notice these guys, dust the plants with Garden Guard, Sabidilla dust or Rotenone. Don't 'wait' to see if there is damage......it's already begun. Repeat dusting after a rain, or at least once a week until you no longer see them. The dust is only effective on the adults, so you need to keep dusting until all generations below the soil emerge. Dust lightly, don't submerge the plants, the leaves need to breathe too!  Get your dust now so you are ready.
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