I am over run with these things, what do you use to get rid of them that won't kill me too?
C
corn rootworm pesticides?
I found these cucumber beetles destroying my roses (the flowers) and mixed pyrethrin with water as recommended, in a spray bottle, and sprayed into each flower. I don't like to mass spray as I like my beneficial insects.
Did it work? And, I agree but they are doing alot of damage.
C
The striped cucumber beetle has been terrible here, many plants sucked so dry they look like they have been burned.
I don't do anything, just cut the plants back when they have finished their feeding cycle and they recover just fine, but they sure look ugly for a while.
Josephine.
I can't see how you can kill them without killing the ladybugs as well. They are everywhere this year and are a great benefit with aphids, etc. I do squish them when finding other than that not much.
Ceejay, do you know what their larval stage looks like?
Are they on veggies, or ornamentals, or both? They feed on soooo many plants.
Insecticides that are listed for cucumber beetles (and safe to use on cucurbits) are carbaryl (Sevin - don't use the dust), pyrethrins, permethrin, imidacloprid, malathion. Of these, I would prefer imidacloprid, which can be purchased under several brand names (Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Insect Control with Merit is one...). It has very low mammalian toxicity and is also systemic, which means it is picked up by the roots and transferred to the foliage, so it lasts longer and you don't have to actually spray the insects. They'll pick it up while eating the foliage. Safer for beneficial insects too. It comes in liquid and granular form.
I thought I was having a big problem with spider mites, but when I looked closely, the damage is being caused by leaf hopper nymphs. I've never seen so many of them. I will be using the imidacloprid to control them. That should take care of the cucumber beetle problem for me too.
Sheila - The larval stage of the cucumber beetle? In its larval stage it is referred to as the southern corn rootworm. ( It is a pest in both forms!) http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/bimg182.html It also spreads diseases. Considered one of the ten worst insect pests, cucumber beetles feed on over 200 types of plants, and have three generations a year.
I have them, too. The fiends! I have a cucumber beetle trap but don't know how far away from the garden to place it. Does anyone have any experience with these? The directions aren't very clear.
Well the only thing I ever spray are veggies and they get insecticidal soap. This year I am going to spray widespread as the cucumber beatles are destroying everything this year, not just the veggies. Sevin is supposed to be a very bad insecticide so that is out. I am going to try permethrin or something like it. I have sprayed twice with neem but no detectable decline yet. On a happily strange note, I did cut off all the brug blossoms and put them in a pail of soapy bleach water and they were ripe with the insects...all of which are now decomposing nicely in the pail!
I too have seen an abundance of lady bugs and absolutely hate to kill them but I am thinkiing killing some of them is worth it if I can make a dent in the cornworm population.
Most of the dammage I have seen is to the flowers with only a few plants showing leaf feeding.
C
Ah, but Sevin is a very good insecticide and is almost non toxic to birds. Very toxic to bees - all insecticides are, so it is very important, if you are going to spray, to do it in the evening after the bees have returned to their hives. I prefer not to use it because it kills beneficial insects also.
Permethrin or pyrethrin will both kill bennies and are slightly toxic to birds. They do degrade quickly, however. Again, toxic to bees. They have been known to cause quite a bit of respiratory problems in humans.
Imidacloprid is toxic to birds and bees, but since it is applied as a soil drench, or granules watered in, it is less likely to come into contact with either. I would not apply it as a spray because of the toxicity problems when done in that manner.
I want something that goes away quickly.
I've read that catmint repels aphids, CO potato beetles and squash bugs. The problem is that some people call catnip "catmint", so I'm not real sure which plant they're talking about. LOL
I am sure it might but I have them and they are doing serious damage so its time to use something stronger....