I have 5 heirloom tomato plants and one cucumber plant growing in containers. Until recently, all have been producing very nicely. Within the past week, however, I've killed quite a few spotted cucumber beetles on the cucumber plant, but they seem to be growing in number anyway. I took this photo to make sure I've correctly identified the pest. I find almost all of them inside a blossom, and I'm hesitant to use Neem or Spinosad since that would also kill the pollinators. Some of the cucumber leaves are dried up or wilting, and the tomato plants nearby are also showing yellowed and dried leaves. This may be due to a bacteria or virus spread by the beetle, although I'm not really sure. What is the best way to handle these pests? I'm not opposed to getting rid of the cucumber plant if that's the most efficient solution...unless there are other options. I understand that the larvae may be in the soil near the base of the plant. If I destroy the cucumber plant, can I dump the soil in my compost bin? Or can I remove the plant, use some sort of insecticide (or boiling water) to kill the eggs and larvae, and reuse the soil?
