Cucumber Beetle Control in the Vegetable Garden

Tiny (¼ in.) yellowish-green beetles with black spots/stripes. Larvae eat corn roots; adults feed on cucumber, muskmelon, pumpkin, squash foliage and aster, dahlia, rose flowers. Adults cause some leaf/blossom damage but greater harm by spreading bacterial wilt among vegetables.

Control

• Fall cleanup: remove/discard all plant debris (overwintering site).
• Floating row covers: exclude adults.
• Pyrethrin for adults; parasitic nematodes reduce larvae.
• Plant bacterial wilt-resistant varieties.

Chemical

Carbaryl effective against adults.