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Cucumber Beetles - Acalymma &
Diabrotica spp.  Slide Series, www.ipmimages.org www.ipmimages.org  HOSTS: Cucurbits (cucumber, squash), peas. DESCRIPTION:
There
are two main species of cucumber beetles in our area: Striped and
Spotted. Striped cucumber beetle ( Acalymma vittatum)adults are 1/5
inch long,
yellow, and have a black stripe. Spotted cucumber beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata)adults
are about the same size, but are greenish with twelve spots on their
back. LIFE
CYCLE: Cucumber
beetles overwinter as pupae in woody, weedy areas. They emerge in the
spring. Adults lay eggs at the base of host plants; larvae hatch and
feed on roots in the soil for about 1 month. There may be two
generations per season. CONTROLS:
It is
important to control these pests because they can be carriers of
bacterial wilt disease.Cultural: Grow resistant varieties, when possible. Traps: Unbaited yellow sticky traps and traps baited with volatile cucurbit floral extracts, known as TIC (trimethoxybenzene, indole, and trans-cinnamaldehyde) have been shown to trap cucumber beetles. You can make a similar product yourself: Save dried squash fruits. Powder them in the food processor. Bait your own yellow sticky traps with the powder. Mechanical: Floating row covers are effective in controlling beetle access to your plants. Remove covers, however, when plants are flowering so that good pollination may occur. Biological: Ground beetles and spiders have been reported to reduce densities of striped cucumber beetles. In fact, spiders increased cucumber yield by 25% in a study at the University of Kentucky. Mulch plants with straw to encourage ground beetles and spiders. Chemical: Adios, a special formulation of Carbaryl, is effective on cucumber beetles and is less toxic than normal Carbaryl formulations. However Adios is difficult to obtain. Rotenone is another less effective option. |
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