Cucumber beetles

Anyone have an idea of how to get rid of these little bastards? In the past I've used Seven, but hate the idea of using chemicals on plants we eat. Last year I would just squash them with my fingers (hey, they look like little michigan football helmets), but this year there seem to be more. Plus I can't stand guard 24/7. I've heard of using different hays, planting marigolds close, etc, but they're killing my cukes NOW...

thanks.

You may try malathion if its still available. Check the label though.

Pyrethrins are naturally derived and have a short half-life. Rotenone also.

Most of the insecticides today will be some type of pyrethrin and most of those are synthethic. Most of the good old stuff is gone except Sevin.

We used to use Rotenone to poison a whole cove of lake Keowee when I was with the US Fish and Wildife Service. It was part of a reservoir study, but seemed a like a huge waste. The stuff came in 30 gallon drums and looked like maple surple .

An organic method is pretty much out by now. You can hand pick them...

Are any of your plants wilting? That's a bigger concern as they are attracted to a bacterial wilt. They also spread it. Little stinkers.

Chemicals.

have you tried diatomaceous earth? fine powder that supposedly cuts their exoskeleton and dries bugs out.

stan wrote: Anyone have an idea of how to get rid of these little bastards? In the past I've used Seven, but hate the idea of using chemicals on plants we eat.

If it's perfectly safe to put on dogs(who generally end up eating some of it), I'd imagine there isn't anything wrong with you ingesting a little.

Grizz wrote:

stan wrote: Anyone have an idea of how to get rid of these little bastards? In the past I've used Seven, but hate the idea of using chemicals on plants we eat.

If it's perfectly safe to put on dogs(who generally end up eating some of it), I'd imagine there isn't anything wrong with you ingesting a little.

not always a good ROT there, while pyrethrins and similar pesticides are ok in small doses for humans, they can have serious neurological side effects on dogs and cats. found that out the hard way with cheapo hartz frontline knock off. even the Hartz "Green" stuff is bad for dogs, as most of the essential oils they use can kill in enough concentration. even the amounts found on the grass in the yard can be dangerous to a small dog.

basically the reason that frontline and advantix cost what they do is because the stuff that doesn't cause side effects costs more than the cheap stuff you can pick up in any grocery store.

Strizzo wrote: have you tried diatomaceous earth? fine powder that supposedly cuts their exoskeleton and dries bugs out.

I really like de but avoid getting it on flowers as it will kill honey bees. Not sure how great it is on beetles but it should help.

Here's a good article:http: www.ghorganics.com/CucumberBeetles.htm

Hasbro wrote:

Strizzo wrote: have you tried diatomaceous earth? fine powder that supposedly cuts their exoskeleton and dries bugs out.

I really like de but avoid getting it on flowers as it will kill honey bees. Not sure how great it is on beetles but it should help. Here's a good article:http: www.ghorganics.com/CucumberBeetles.htm

Killing the good bugs -especially the ones who are helping make the cukes- is just one of the reasons I don't like to use chemicals. Also we have a few small dogs roaming around a bit. I do have the wilt and if the little bastards just ate a bit of nectar I wouldn't care. It's the bacterial wilt they carry that I have and kills the plants...

I guess I'll just keep squashing...

thanks for the ideas.

P.S. The article from ghorganics.com is a good one!

Strizzo wrote:

Grizz wrote:

stan wrote: Anyone have an idea of how to get rid of these little bastards? In the past I've used Seven, but hate the idea of using chemicals on plants we eat.

If it's perfectly safe to put on dogs(who generally end up eating some of it), I'd imagine there isn't anything wrong with you ingesting a little.

not always a good ROT there, while pyrethrins and similar pesticides are ok in small doses for humans, they can have serious neurological side effects on dogs and cats. found that out the hard way with cheapo hartz frontline knock off. even the Hartz "Green" stuff is bad for dogs, as most of the essential oils they use can kill in enough concentration. even the amounts found on the grass in the yard can be dangerous to a small dog. basically the reason that frontline and advantix cost what they do is because the stuff that doesn't cause side effects costs more than the cheap stuff you can pick up in any grocery store.

I'm just talking about the Sevin, works well on our small dogs for fleas. A couple of our dogs have had seizures with the actual dog stuff, even the expensive crap that comes in the little tubes.

Kill 'em. Squash each and every one you find and then hunt for their eggs usually on the leaves, mostly on the undersides. They are little red dots, squish all of them too. I have had four or five total this year with this strategy every 2-3 days.

tuna55 wrote: Kill 'em. Squash each and every one you find and then hunt for their eggs usually on the leaves, mostly on the undersides. They are little red dots, squish all of them too. I have had four or five total this year with this strategy every 2-3 days.

Dang you're doing good! I squash about 5 everytime I go out. Maybe the egg-thing is the trick (which I haven't done).

thanks.

I've got a similar problem with squash bugs. I used to try to hit them with sevin or something similar, but they seemed largely unaffected. I saw too many pumpkin and squash vines succumb to the nasty bastids and I finally started going Neanderthal on them. Now I seek out their eggs and scrape them off with my fingernails. Any adult bugs or nymphs I gleefully smash between my fingers with a demonaical cackle. I'm not sure what my neighbors think.

stan wrote:

tuna55 wrote: Kill 'em. Squash each and every one you find and then hunt for their eggs usually on the leaves, mostly on the undersides. They are little red dots, squish all of them too. I have had four or five total this year with this strategy every 2-3 days.

Dang you're doing good! I squash about 5 everytime I go out. Maybe the egg-thing is the trick (which I haven't done). thanks.

It's all in the eggs, those patches can have 15-20 eggs in them and often I'd kill 2-3 patches at a time.

You can apply diatomaceous earth as a slurry, too. You can add a spreader sticker to the slurry. Makes it stick where you want it to go. It also gets rid of soft bodied stuff like grubs and caterpillars. It's ok around mammals. They are basically 30,000,000 year old fossilized skeletons. It's good stuff and even acts as a trace fert. If you don't want to use d.e. you could go with neem oil. Also good stuff.

While I'm at it, for plants with powdery mildew, a 10-30% solution of milk/water works as well as anything.

Jalapeno peppers will keep bugs away. My Nephew plants them with his tomatoes.

iceracer wrote: Jalapeno peppers will keep bugs away. My Nephew plants them with his tomatoes.

Not squash bugs - tried it among other hot peppers this year.

What about frogs? Or other critters that eat bugs... I've been told people buy frogs just to eat the bugs in their gardens. Then at the end of the season, you eat the frog

RossD wrote: What about frogs? Or other critters that eat bugs... I've been told people buy frogs just to eat the bugs in their gardens. Then at the end of the season, you eat the frog

I really want to try that with those little lizards...