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  • From: Steve Diver <steved AT ipa.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Cucumber Beetles
  • Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:23:01 -0600

While you're looking for methods to keep cucumber beetles under check
allow me to point to this ATTRA publication that was totally revised
in 2006.

Cucumber Beetles: Organic and Biorational Integrated Pest Management
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/cucumberbeetle.pdf

Actually, this was the last ATTRA technical project I worked on. It was
interesting digging into all those methods, the amazing Diabrotica Tribe,
and the pioneering research on insect ecology and pheromones by
Robert Metcalf.

You might find the research/methods from Bio-Integral Resource
Center helpful -- the use of sticky "ribbons" running parallel to
the ground, about 20 to 26" high. These can be mounted on
legs with a roller to occassionally take up old ribbon and
expose some fresh sticky.... and catch more beetles.

And don't forget to read the section on bats! Amazing.

Coincidentally 2006 was a bat awakening for me... from the bat / diabrotica
studies, to Frank Bibbin the organic pecan grower in Georgia, to the Congress
Avenue bridge in Austin, TX, watching 1.5 million bats take flight (while
courting my sweetheart.... romantic, huh), to the bat researchers in TN, Boston,
TX... all pointing to bat housing as a pillar of IPM on the farm.

A second publication that I recommend for your cucurbit pest control
library is this Cornell title.

2009 Production Guide for Organic Cucumbers and Squash
Cornell Univ, NY State Dept of Agric
http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/organic_guide/cucurbit.pdf

Their pest management section -- with botanical and biorational
control product options and rates -- is a good complement to the
ATTRA pub.

Well, at least there's some ideas and methods to chew on.

Steve Diver
Texas









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