Cucumber Beetle - Insecticide

Cucumber Beetles Traps -

ACCORDING TO THE PEOPLE POSTING (FEEDBACK) BELOW THIS DOES NOT WORK!!!! 6/02/05

My interruption of the information provided in the below articles is:

¼ lb zucchini squash or buffalo gourd
2 cups water

Blend to make a paste spread it on three 10” round paper plates and set around the parameter of the area you want protected, if there is evidence of beetles being in the area. They will eat the mixture like me eating chocolate and it kills them. Zucchini & Buffalo are poisonous to Cucumber Bettles.

http://www.umresearch.umd.edu/CGC/cgc2/cgc2_23.htm

http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/miscpesticides/alphaalkyl-metaldehyde/cucurbitacins/cucurbaticins_pet_899.html


Please read these articles for yourself to ensure my calculations etc are correct.


This message was edited May 26, 2005 2:21 PM

This message was edited Jun 2, 2005 12:20 AM

Thank you!!! You must have known I was battling these today! I will definitely do this tomorrow!

I guess it's time to pick up some zucchini
thanks for the info!

Ya'll let me know how it works. I don't want to brag cause it may cause a jinks, but I haven't seen any beetles YET!!!

Judy

I whipped up some zucchini sludge, set it about the garden and watched as the cabbage beetles ignored it. The only time any of the beetles touched the stuff was when I picked them up and dropped them in it.
I thought I would give it another 24 hours and see what happens.

I'm sorry to report nary a cabbage beetle ever went near it.
Although not 2 feet away they were feasting my plumeria and having rose petals for desert.

After reading the report from your link, I really had high hopes for the zucchini.
From now on I'm saving my zucchini for vegetable Lasagna

Dove

lol lol I'm so sorry, that goes to show you what kind of info we get from the Govn't, BUT before we go too far I need to ask is a Cabbage Beetle the same as a Cucumber Beetle. Read the info on the links and see what you think.

Judy

This message was edited Jun 1, 2005 3:58 PM

Well fiddley dee...
I don't know, maybe it is a cucumber beetle and I got it mixed up with another C vegetable.
I check it out and let you know
(wouldn't that be a kicker if I was treating my cabbage beetle with your cucumber recipe)

Correct beetle - Wrong vegetable
I went back to the orginal thread and sure enough I got my veggies mixed up.
Here's a photo of one of the little invaders (On my Cary Grant Rose - The nerve!)

The zucchini mixture was nothing but a mess. They apparently are aware they shouldn't eat it. I am just hand squishing them at the moment, waiting for something bigger than them to come and get 'em.

They are constantly on some Candytuft that the neighbor gave me. She started it from seed and I haven't even gotten to see the blooms because of these bugs! I'm wondering if I should just pull the Candytuft out because they love it, and maybe they'll go away. OR will they just go to another plant? BUT I don't want them hanging around laying eggs.... what to do?

I'm afraid if you pull out the candytuft they'll just go for something else.

I prefer organic, but as soon as the sun starts to set I'm waging a Chemical War on those little buggers!

What are you using? I have used insecticidal soap and it doesn't bother them at all. I used an orange oil mixture that I use on fire ants, nothing. Garlic pepper spray didn't bother them either. That's why I ended up just knocking them into a bowl of soapy water and squishing what I could. I can't control the masses this way tho.

Email 'Brugie' and ask her what she used when she got them on her Brugs. I tried to find the info but wasn't able to do so. She's a nice lady who won't mind telling you.

Judy

Judy,
I hope you don't think I'm upset the zucchini didn't work.
I am a firm believer in the "Glad Game"
I'm pretty much always ready to try just about anything.
If it doesn't work I can always find something to humorous about the process.

[Don singing in the tune of the Monty Python Spam song[

Neem, neem, neem, neem, neem, neem, neem...wonderful neem, fabulous neem!

Oh yes...Neem! Maybe that will just take care of several pests at once. I'm battling lace bugs and cucumber beetles and forgetting which to use on which. lol Night_Bloom suggested using a Bayer product for the lace bugs, but it's more chemical than Neem, but then again...my plants are being eaten almost to death! gggrrr!!

Don...
Do you buy it full strength and mix it?
I was looking at some stuff (local like Home Depot) and the amount of Neem was something around a whopping 5 % (maybe less)
Honest, I would love to go 100% organic, but it's seems to me the when it comes to fighting pest the organic remedies just fall short.
My poor plumeria is crying "Save me"
Dove

What does the neem do? Is it a contact insecticide? Is it persistent? I know that it is a more natural one, but I would rather not kill all bugs indiscriminately. I used to use rotenone every once in a while for the nasty bean beetles. It is also natural, but my hubby pointed out that it was a little dangerous, mostly because it was a dust formulation.

In an emergency, I use pyrethrin - it is natural (from a type of crysanthamum [sp?] flower I believe), but short-lived. It kills and is gone the next day.

And konkreteblonde is correct that the Bayer product is a chemical. It's advantage is that it is systemic (goes inside the plant), so that, in general, it only kills critters that eat the plant. I will admit that I haven't used it myself, because the only thing I spray are the veggies, and you can't use it on veggies (because of the systemic quality). For veggies, I use pyrethrin, but I am interetsed in the potential advantages of neem instead.

Dovey,

Not to worry. I have no pride of ownership in regard to the squash insecticide. I just happened upon the USDA article and thought I would provide the information. Matter of fact I suppose I should edit the first post because it has been picked up by the search engines, I'm sure, and other people will be trying this medthod which doesn't work.

Judy.

NB, you've mentioned several times about some of the chemicals being more short lived and indiscriminate. That's very interesting, but I do keep forgetting! lol (Maybe we just need a thread about pesticides)

If it's systemic, it gets inside, got it. But that must be something you feed the plant, rather than spray it? I have a Bayer product that someone suggested for my Brugs that had spider mites. I figured since it was in a pot, it didn't matter if it was chemical. So far it didn't get rid of the mites tho. I have this huge bottle that I will never finish, so hopefully it will be what you are recommending for lace bugs.

Pyrethrins...I like that they are gone the next day. It will kill all bugs tho, right? I won't be spraying it all over, so it would only get those on the infested plants. That's a chance I'll have to take on a few plants.

Neem...I think it's considered more "organic" than pyrethrins now, but I don't know anything about it. Kills good bugs? lasts how long? etc.

I have tried and tried products to no avail. I guess you could say that I've wasted a lot of money because most of the products are still sitting in the cabinet, unused. What I did buy that worked in one spraying was Talstar. A friend of mine sent me a little of it to try and I couldn't believe it. For two years my brug blooms had been eaten so badly I couldn't even get a descent picture to post. Last year I tried the Talstar and one spray and they were gone. I was beginning to see just a few by the end of the season, but was lazy and didn't spray them. I saw one the other day and crushed it, but as soon as I see them rolling in, I'll get on them with Talstar. It is costly, but it will always be in my arsenol. Talstar can be found at www.Rosemania.com if you are interested and have a full wallet. LOL! Sometimes it's great to have friends to share the price and product with.

Brugie,
Thanks for the link, I ordered the Neem Oil. The free shipping is nice too.
Dovey

Here are some ideas for dealing with the cucumber (and cabbage) beetles:

http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html

http://www.ghorganics.com/page14.html

Tamara,
Those are great links
Thanks for posting
Dove

*sigh*
I'm beginning to think cucumber beetles are indestructible.
I've sprayed Neem twice, I don't know if it's killing them or just annoying them.
Always, the next morning while doing my garden walk I see more of the little green buggers acting as if nothing happened and they own the place.

Any suggestions?



This message was edited Jun 11, 2005 4:28 PM

It's been too windy for me to try the Neem yet. None of my other stuff worked tho. The only thing that did was holding a bowl of soapy water and knocking the plant so that they fall into it. Then slapping wildly in the air to try and smash those flying and smushing the ones that fall on the ground. They ate all of the Candytuft, but aren't gone. *heavy sigh too*

I know it's not funny, but I can't help but chuckle at the mental image of you and your bowl of soapy water and the swarming cucumber beetles.

Sometimes when I was spraying the bush I would see a few fall to the ground.
I never could figure out if the spray was killing them or the force of the stream knocked them off.
The Talstar is starting to tempt me, but it's very expensive.
I'm checking out deals on ebay.

I'm sure it is quite funny! LOL I honestly think they try to attack me! I had those gigantic grasshoppers do that to me a few years ago. I would go out with my plastic baseball bat and beat them to death. They would stare me right in the eye and jump right for my head!! LOL Those were usually the ones that I'd be so mad at that I'd chase around the yard beating everything in my path just to get them. :)

Oh my gosh... those are the times a garden cam would be priceless!!

OOH, thos enasty grasshoppers! My kids have a plastic baseball bat, and that is a grand idea. The other day, I scattered the grasshopper bait around the perimeter of the garden, so I have been seeing a lot less of them.

About the beetles dropping, I have noticed that behavior with stink bugs, lady beetles, harlequin bugs too. I think it must be their defense, if they sense danger, they drop to the ground to avoid it. So I started putting one hand or cup underneath when I reach for them, works like a charm. I hadn't thought of knocking the plant, that is a good idea! Luckily, I don't have close neighbors, so won't have to worry if I look like you just described. You are surely a funny woman! :-)

Now if you think these are bad, try reading the link on the big ugly caterpillars in the veggie or tomato forum!