What are cucumber beetles?
If you find that the stems of your seedlings are being eaten off, leaves are yellowing and wilting, and holes are appearing, you may have a striped or spotted cucumber beetle problem. Striped cucumber beetles feed on cucurbits (cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, watermelons, and more), while spotted cucumber beetles feed on other plants in addition to cucurbits. The beetles emerge from hibernation early in the season to feed on seedlings, typically killing them. When they grow into adults by the middle of the season, they will feed on leaves, vines, and fruits, leaving deep marks.
Identifying cucumber beetles
Adult striped cucumber beetles are about ¼ inches long and have a yellow-and-black striped abdomen and a dark-colored head and antennae. Spotted cucumber beetles are the same length but have 12 black spots on a yellow abdomen. The larvae are worm-like, white, dark-headed, and have three pairs of legs on the thorax.
Ridding your garden of cucumber beetles
Inspect your cucurbit plants carefully for the beetle. If found, knock them to the ground and pick them up to dispose of them. You can also use yellow sticky traps or cover seedlings with row covers to prevent the beetle from attacking the plants.
Read more at the Farmer’s Almanac: https://bit.ly/3LPCEdP