Dahlias: Dahlias Summer 2015, 2 by psudan

psudan wrote:
I was feeling so relieved that I hadn't found any JB's lately. I went out this morning to check this Ferncliff Illusion I had been waiting to see. I noticed little black droppings and expected to see a JB. Then I noticed this Cucumber Beetle inside the petals. I hadn't forgot about them but don't usually see them until later in the fall. Consider yourself fortunate if you don't have this pest around. There is a spotted version and a striped one. They do damage to the plant and foliage like the JB's and they produce a bacteria in their stomach which can spread to the plant and cause bacterial wilt. It might be time to get out the spray. Just when you thought it was safe to "get back into the water." lol