All Points Bulletin for those planting cucumbers

Last year, we tried to grow cucumbers.

The key word there is tried.

We planted the seedlings and did everything that we were supposed to do. For a couple of weeks, the seedlings thrived and looked beautiful.

Then one morning, we went out to the garden to discover that our cukes had disappeared. Gone. Completely vanished.

We poked around in the soil. All we could find were the roots. No plant left at all.

Using our powers of deductive reasoning, Mr. Zen and I tried to figure out who was the culprit. We had a fence around our garden, so it couldn't be deer or rabbits or anything like that. There was no evidence of aphids or any other bugs we could think of. Only these little spotted ladybug looking things... and they're supposed to be harmless, right?

We talked to other fellow gardeners in the area. Lo and behold, their cukes had mysteriously disappeared, too.

What happened?

A little more investigation revealed that those "harmless ladybug looking things" were actually these guys:

Acalymma vittatum and Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi.

Alias: Striped Cucumber Beetle and 12-Spotted Cucumber Beetle.



ALL POINTS BULLETIN:
*Attention all units, attention all units. Be on the lookout for these suspects. They look like yellow (and even dull red) ladybugs and lighting bugs. They are dangerous to innocent cucumber plants. If you spot these ruthless assailants, terminate these bad guys with extreme prejudice. That is all.*

Really, the best advice here is that old cliche: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
In other words, if you already spy these bugs on your plants, it might be too late.

Here is how to protect your cukes from these nasties.

Row Covers: Cover seedbeds and seedlings immediately after planting with a row cover and be sure to seal the edges. Remove the cover when your plants start to bloom.

Sticky Traps: These beetles like the color yellow. Set out some yellow sticky traps by your vines - it will grab the beetles and it will also give you a way to see if and when any beetles have discovered your plants.

Kaolin Clay: (This is the method we are using) Spray kaolin clay (don't worry, it's organic) on your plants about twice a week, especially to the undersides of the leaves. This stuff deters the beetles (and a whole host of other bugs). It will leave a white powdery residue, which is harmless. When it's harvest time, simply wipe/wash the white stuff off. Kaolin Clay can be found at agricultural stores (like Co-Op) and online. One brand of it is called Surround Wp. I also have it in my TennZen Marketplace store.



If you find these beetles on your plants, there are a few things you can do:

Pick them off by hand. Kill the bugs by crushing them or dropping them into a bucket of soapy water.

Vacuum them off with a hand vacuum or ShopVac and drop them into soapy water.

Declare chemical warfare and spray them with pyrethrin. (Only in extreme situations where you need to control an infestation quickly.) Be careful with this stuff because pyrethrin will also kill beneficial bugs.

Whichever method you try, best of luck to you. May you have a bumper crop of cucumbers this summer! (And lots of pickles!)