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  • From: Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Cucumber Beetle Invasion
  • Date: Sat, 29 May 2010 08:37:12 -0400

PS to previous post below: I just noticed this on the page I linked to for the bean beetle predator:

"It will also parasitize the larval squash beetle"

and when I looked that up I find something that looks a whole lot like Mexican bean beetles -- did you mean that for cucumber beetles? The cucumber beetle I meant is the striped cucumber beetle, which looks quite different. If what you have is squash beetles and not striped cucumber beetles, maybe the predator will work for both -- and that would explain why you think you've got them in the beans as they do look like the bean beetles.

Or maybe your striped cucumber beetles do like beans. In which case, please don't send them over here to instruct ours!

Squash beetle picture here:

http://vvv.caes.state.ct.us/PlantPestHandbookFiles/pphS/pphsqua.htm

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale



On May 29, 2010, at 8:25 AM, Road's End Farm wrote:


On May 29, 2010, at 1:09 AM, Jay Sleichter wrote:

Is it just at my place or are cucumber beetles taking over the
world? I lost one planting of beans to them and another one almost


Are you sure it's cucumber beetles in the beans? I've never seen that;
though I do sometimes get bean beetles in the beans. There's a
predatory wasp you can buy for the bean beetles -- does work, but you
have to order them at just the right time; you can't order them ahead
and store them, and they don't overwinter this far north -- I'm not
sure how far north they do survive. Watch out for the shipping costs,
on small orders it'll be a big percentage of the cost.

http://greenmethods.com/site/biocontrols/pediobius/


Row cover is out of the question. Plants are too big for it.

You can't use row cover on cucurbits after they go into bloom anyway,
they need insect pollination; at least unless you're growing all
parthenocarpic varieties. I often do row cover them till the female
flowers appear, though; that buys you significant time.


-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale











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