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Glenn Springs S.C.

I was looking at the patch today ,I quit looking everyday because it seemed nothing new was going on but today I found a cuke beetle will seven dust kill those ? I also have one plant with a split stem that has apparently healed itself , the plant looks good the split has sort of crusted or rusted over .
Jeff
P.S. It looked like a long green lady bug.
Brent Contact Cleon for me.

5/30/2001 9:10:23 PM

Herndon, VA

Yes, they look similar to lady bugs butlonger and can be spotted or striped black/yellow If you do a site search on cuke there is a photo in the Photo Gallery. Sevin will kill them. Also, I have had good results with Bug-B-Gone (so far) this year.
As for the split, most people recommend burying them with dirt. It sounds to me like it has healed, although I would still bury it. Bruiser.

5/31/2001 12:28:34 AM

South Hill, Virginia

Jeff,

When I first started thinking about growing a pumpkin down here I was told that it was difficult because the heat and the bugs were brutal. I see you and Bruiser have already started the bug battle and it will be interesting to see how we all fair during the July and August heat. I haven't had any bugs (yet) but I did till in a bag of Diazonan (I can't spell it) in the spring. I don't think anyone would recommend it as it probably kills everything in the soil, earthworms included but it will be interesting to see how much longer it keeps the bugs out of my patch. Of course you can not ignore the presence of Cleon in my patch as a bug deterent:)

5/31/2001 10:45:39 AM

South Hill, Virginia

Jeff,

I just captured one and got a pic in my growers diary. Long green spotted #%@$!!!

6/7/2001 4:26:02 PM

Mid Michigan

Alright svrichb....Jeff................it's killing me now! I looked at the pic in your grower diary.......who, no.., what the heck is "cleon"? A mole? Mouse? Bird? Hedge-hog? I couldn't really tell what it is.
I was surprised at the pic of the cuke beetle. I had no idea what they looked like, and i've never seen one here in Mid-Michigan. I'll start looking a lot closer now, and hopefully wont find one!! I did see a similar looking green beetle out back in my better half's flowers, but it didn't have the black dots on it. ........cuzbiker

6/9/2001 10:54:12 AM

Long Island,New York

Did it have stripes Cuzbiker? There are at least two varieties of cucumber beetles...striped and spotted...and base color ranges between green and yellow........G

6/9/2001 2:11:52 PM

Greencastle, PA

cuzbiker,
I think cleon is a little of everything, this is because the whole world revolves around giant pumpkins. Hope this helps,
Tom

6/9/2001 2:39:34 PM

Mid Michigan

No G.....the ones i've seen here ( beetles) are just a glowing, shiny green. No dots, no stripes. I do see a lot of lightning bugs here, where 15 years ago we never saw them this far north.......at least, i didn't. They dont bother pumpkin plants, do they? ( the lightning bugs?)
So far, i haven't had anything bothering my pumpkin plants, but something keeps eating the leaves off my cucumber plants everytime they grow a new one! Haven't seen what it is yet either.

6/10/2001 3:33:12 PM

western Kentucky

I've never had any trouble with lighting bugs in any part of my garden and we have always had them here.

6/10/2001 4:11:04 PM

Long Island,New York

Without a picture or a description of size,shape,etc i doubt if a identification can be made over the internet. If there are very few they probably don't pose a big problem. The major pests would have easily been ID"d by this knowledgable pumpkin group by now.However, if there are many, they're there for a reason ! Even if they're good bugs eating bad bugs there must be enough bad bugs around to sustain them which isn't likely good.Of course, they could be good bugs eating other good bugs that just ate all the bad bugs and there's no problem and you'll grow the 1000lber !.......................G

6/10/2001 5:34:26 PM

western Kentucky

If it was a shiny green beetle we have them here too. But if it was glowing then no I have never seen them. But I have saw a shiny green beetle that is about 5-6 times the size of ladybug and it's green shell reflects the sunlight then yeah I see them all the time in our hayfields, but never had one in my garden.

Justin

6/10/2001 6:40:22 PM

Herndon, VA

I've got the shiny green ones in my remote pumpkin patch and so far they seem to leave the pumpkins alone.

6/10/2001 10:17:09 PM

Mid Michigan

I guess i've been lucky so far then guys! Nothing has been messing with my pumpkin plants. I only saw that shiny green beetle the one time.....rabbits could've been a problem, but i have the patch close enough to the family beagle, that the bunnies stay away! hahahaha Been checking daily under the leaves etc. for any moths, beetles, eggs.....nothing so far!...........cuzbiker

6/11/2001 5:45:21 AM

South Hill, Virginia

cuzbiker,

I have two different types of cuke beetles in my patch. The one I have the pic of is green and polka dotted. The one of found this past weekend is the striped yellow variety. They are both the same size and shape...about twice the length of a lady bug I guess. I have found each one camped out inside of a flower. If you don't get any up in your area, and would like some, I will back up a few and send them to you:)

About Cleon...it's kinda hard to say exactly what he is other than the alleged "god of giant pumpkins". You can read about him in the "how-to" section of this site. I swear every bit of that story is true!

6/11/2001 1:35:18 PM

Greencastle, PA

even the part about gene simmons?

6/11/2001 5:18:26 PM

Kentucky - USA

I hate to sound like a dummie but What does a cuke beetle do to a pumpkin?


Tim

6/12/2001 12:54:09 AM

Herndon, VA

TAdams- Cuke beetles can completely consume young seedlings. In adult plants, the biggest threat is that they can spread diseases like bacterial wilt. --Bruiser

6/12/2001 1:41:29 AM

Mid Michigan

I read the facts about cleon.....i guess i'd better pray for him to show up here now! Beetles are no problem here in Mid-Michigan yet ( knock, knock).....but i'm having a rough time keeping the squirrles, and chipmunks from digging around my baby!! If cleon doesn't show soon, i'm thinking it'll be pellet gun time. hahahahaa

6/12/2001 5:44:19 AM

Greencastle, PA

speaking of shooting squirrles, I tried to turn a 112 pound gplden retriever whothinks he's a lap dog into a farm dog, the squirrles aren't a problem, but he chases them, but he will not chase the rabbits, so I asked my mom if I could get a gun and shoot the rabbits and she really did not like that idea. Now I chase the rabbits with a shovel in one hand and a stick in the other.
Tom

P.S. I chase the rabbits whl my dog just lays there looking at me like I'm crazy.

6/12/2001 11:00:50 AM

Greencastle, PA

opps, while

6/12/2001 11:01:32 AM

western Kentucky

Try a 12 guage they work good for squirrels...

Have you ever had squirrel dumplings?

Justin

P.S. I am from Ky.

6/12/2001 11:24:19 AM

Greencastle, PA

do you have any recipes for chipmunks?

6/12/2001 9:46:47 PM

western Kentucky

eight guages

6/12/2001 11:52:40 PM

western Kentucky

In England they make 1 guage magnums... Those might work

6/12/2001 11:53:31 PM

Mid Michigan

I broke down, and bought one of those "have-a-heart safe traps" last weekend, and set it with some peanut-butter. Had 2 chipmunks in it when i got home yesterday.....might be onto something here! hahahaha I hear my neighbor blasting at bunnies with a .22 every once in a while...they try to eat all the bark off his dwarf burning bushes. I'm afraid someone will call the law on me if i get after the chipmunks, etc with a .22 or a shotgun......besides, it's fun plinking with the pellet gun.

6/13/2001 5:59:34 AM

Greencastle, PA

Maybe I'll give them an even more painful death like they did to 6 of my 581.6 Senesi. Who here thinks I should release some Burmese Pythons?

6/13/2001 11:34:31 AM

western Kentucky

One of my friends has a Burmese python that is over 10 feet long it eats one rabbit every 5-6 days.

6/13/2001 11:43:44 AM

Greencastle, PA

really, I have a bearded dragon, he eats crickets. Does his snake have a nice color? I think Pythons are the coolest snakes in the world.
Tom

6/13/2001 5:05:17 PM

western Kentucky

Well I haven't saw it in a year or two, but it did have. He brought it to school one day for a science project. It was really heavy.

6/13/2001 9:10:33 PM

Greencastle, PA

Yeah, they're constrictors, they tend to be heavier than venomous snakes because they use thier muscle to kill thier prey.

6/14/2001 12:11:52 AM

Glenn Springs S.C.

ya'll like them cuke beetles don't ya. sorry it took me so long to respond my AOL messed up and it took awhile to get the bugs out ,maybe I should try sevin dust on the computer.
Jeff
P.S.
Cleon was spotted down here thanks Brent.

6/14/2001 10:28:18 PM

Greencastle, PA

Don't you hate AOL? I've been looking for cleon here to, he probably doesn't know what plants I'm growing.

6/15/2001 8:28:23 AM

Glenn Springs S.C.

Tom,
Cleon hangs out at the Dollar Tree alot,you may have to coax him into visiting you.
Jeff
Brent,
Imatation is the highest form of flattery.

6/16/2001 6:38:11 AM