Hey, I figured out what to do about cucumber beetles!

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SwallowFeather Tiskilwa, IL Jul 16, 2013

... if the method is worth it to you, anyway.

I thought I'd mention this because I know there's plenty of people who've had troubles with cucumber beetles. My tip is on how to get rid of a really bad infestation, which is what I had. They were just everywhere. I could have sprayed them but I didn't want to kill the bees & other beneficials (and there were LOTS of bees in my cukes and squash, helping out) and the organic tips I have heard just didn't do enough for a bad infestation in a large garden.

So I starved them out.

I didn't know if it would work but it was the best idea I had. Last year I grew no cucurbits at all--no cukes, squash or melons of any kind. (I actually grew my cukes & squash in a completely different location, sufficiently far away, but actually I might as well not have since they did so poorly there. Anyway you could try this, growing your cucurbits elsewhere, you might have better luck.) I did see a few cucumber beetles herwas thinkinge and there last year, trying to survive on basil & other non-cuke things.

But this year I haven't seen one. Not a single one. And I've got lots of cuke & melon plants & am already picking zucchini. The cuke beetles are gone! I'm so happy!

Incidentally a friend of mine tried this same strategy at the same time and it worked for her too.

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HoneybeeNC Charlotte, NC(Zone 7b) Jul 16, 2013

I had a problem with cucumber beetles last summer, so I haven't grown any melons/cucumbers this year in the hopes of starving the beetles and squash vine caterpillars.

Your post has given me hope that this strategy will work.

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jmc1987 Cascade, VA(Zone 7a) Jul 16, 2013

since my little veggie garden is so compact (6' X 6"), i often will go there daily and just go on a good old fashioned bug mushing spree, lol! The only plant i have lost this year has been to a suspected fungal disease. everything else has been doing great, and very few pest, just sporadic here and there, nothing a good finger squashing doesnt take care of, lol.

of course for bigger gardens, you would probably want to try the "starve them out" method.

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