From

Location

Message

Date Posted

PA

I went to my patch thursday night and found cucumber beatles already, couldn't believe it! Took care of them with bug be gone.

5/24/2002 9:40:30 PM

san jose california

hi i use sevn dust or spray . put the dust on the plant has well as around the plant on the ground

5/24/2002 11:20:53 PM

South Hill, Virginia

it does seem early for them but from reading Bruiser diary I see he has them already also. must be the weather we've had.

5/25/2002 1:02:26 AM

Indiana

I saw my first one today........actually it was yesterday now that I look at the clock.
Tom Beachy

5/25/2002 1:12:49 AM

Pulaski Tn blkcloud@igiles.net

i have already sprayed last sat. morning for them, every plant had them on there. killed them all because sunday morn. they were all gone. now here is my question.. if i killed them all, and couldnt find them on any thing else where in the sam hill did this new swarm of them come from?? i checked my plants this morn. and yep there they were munching away!!i used diazone or how ever you spell it.

5/25/2002 3:28:41 PM

Amherst, WI

blkcloud, you have a good question there, one that I've wondered about myself. Up untill last year I didn't even know what a cuke beetle was, 'till I got 'em. Since I didn't know what they were called, I refered to them as "orgy bugs" for obvious reasons. I would spray them with malathion, but I started to think it was an aphrodisiac for them. But if it was killing them and more moved in, then how on God's green earth did they find my pathetic little pumpkin patch?

5/25/2002 8:38:01 PM

PA

I hope I'm not wrong about this but I think they hatch out of the ground?

5/25/2002 11:04:57 PM

Western Pa.

Not only do they hatch, but can travel quite well through the air. Also, you may notice that if you've grown cucurbits for several years, or a neighbor has, you will tend to "build up" the population of beetles and have more.If your neighbor had a patch last year, but none this year, his hungry beetles will be headed your way!Only a small percentage of them carry bacterial wilt, but it only takes 1 beetle to spread wilt.

5/26/2002 10:09:24 AM

Ga.

Knock on wood,,havent had them,,didnt have last year....Good luck all....

5/26/2002 10:30:16 AM

North Ga

Same here jeff.

5/26/2002 5:18:57 PM

Pulaski Tn blkcloud@igiles.net

send me a sase and will get some out right away to you fellers..

5/26/2002 10:06:17 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

If they hatch through the ground would grub ex get the before they got to the plants?

5/26/2002 10:09:29 PM

Western Pa.

If they can fly in from your neighbors patch, or maybe from miles away, how much grub-ex can you afford? Most practical and best bet is systemic insecticide.

5/27/2002 8:24:04 AM

Long Island,New York

They would be in the pupal stage overwintering in the ground and would not be ingesting the poison.They emerge from the pupae to dig thier way out and find a nice plant to eat...transferring viruses if they carry the viruses.Grubbex would likely do damage to them in the larval stage where they are wormy-like and feed on the roots.The merit(Imclopsomething chemical) in the grubbex would travel through the plant and likely kill the adult beetles feeding on the leaves. The viruses can be transferred through bug saliva and i hear-tell of the possibility of the viruses being transferred through the infected beetlepoops....so it may be a good idea to "rinse" your leaf surfaces after a "round" or "wave" of beetle infestations.
Systemics are great but they rely on the beetle/bugs to eat themselves to death...which involves a certain amount of the activity that creates the problem with viruses before the chemicals kill the pests. There's also some signs it poisons the pollen which can kill the bees.I think systemics are great as a secondary line of defence, with a contact insectiside as a primary defense(sevin)but I'd do what Len Stellpflug does and remove all unneccessary flowers to protect the bees.....(se Len's article on ADMIRE....same chemical as grubbex)..........G

5/27/2002 9:09:59 AM

walton n.y.

i have to thank amy for finding those cuke beatles (i think) well i don't have them but found potato bugs the plants are barely out of the ground just a few inches high had to spray

5/27/2002 5:02:59 PM

Western Pa.

G,

What you are saying is correct, but bacterial wilt is not spread by the beetles feeding, but when infected beetles feces comes in contact with open plant wounds. I'm not sure if the beetles must "eat themselves to death" or just sample a plant containing systemics.This also works well with the SVB. Also when the plant is actively vining, the systemic alone is not enough as it takes a while to spread throughout the plant.I also agree we should try to protect the bees, but I've found that spraying early before the blooms open or late after the blooms close goes a long way in protecting the bees.

5/27/2002 7:58:35 PM

Long Island,New York

Kilr...You may be right about the bacterial wilt, but they can also transmit the mosaic virus as well. The aphids and whiteflies etc also transmit a host of season enders and it only takes ONE bite. Systemics can find thier way to the pollen grains...which the bees find.....which sucks, but growing where you live and where I live we have to deal with the beasts...so we deal the best way we can. Spray your contact insectisides early am or later after bees are home, and protect them from the systemics by removing unneeded flowers.......G

5/27/2002 9:12:18 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

I didn't realize grubbex was systemic. I always used diazonon before it got banned here in Jersey. It's been so cold here That I doubt anything is moving in the ground yet so hopefully nothing is flying. Just from reading G's and kilr's suggestions above. It seems to me that what your saying is it's never to early to start applying Sevin to a young plant.

5/28/2002 7:14:18 AM

Long Island,New York

Aphids are out...white flies are out already, and small inchworm/caterpillers are around....Ive seen them all here in my yard on Long Island....shouldn't be too different in Jerzee......G

5/28/2002 5:39:23 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

You're right G seen those green suckers hanging from the trees! Seven tomorrow Sevin!

5/28/2002 7:39:41 PM

North Ga

I dust my plants with 10% sevin dust and have no bugs. I have burned the tips so I stay away from them now. Doesn't take much to do the job.

5/28/2002 8:36:15 PM