I know it's early to be worrying about this, but I need to have my battle plan in place far in advance of the battle... I'm almost ready to abandon the thought of growing cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and melons. For the last six years in a row now, the cucumber beetles have decimated my entire crop of those plants. this is not a single-infestation problem, either, because I have moved in the last six years. Anyway, I have tried planting early, planting late, mulching, staking, hand-picking, and, last year when I got desperate, Concern anti-insect spray. Nothing has worked. I love cucumbers and squash and I hate to have to give them up, but I don't know what else to do. Can anybody tell me how to prevent those pests and, also, if I get hit again, how I might get rid of them?
Does anyone know what the natural predators are for cucumber beetles? I know that there are some nematodes that attack the larvae but I dont' know what kind. Are there any others that attack the insects themselves? Is there any way to trap these things? Squash bugs are just as much of a problem, so if anyone has any thoughts on those, I'll be very grateful.
As the other person replied, Surround does work pretty well at controlling Cucumber Beetles and Squash Bugs. I tried it for the first time last year and loved it. But, just as an extra line of defense, I found that using a light weight row cover on the young plants first was even more effective. Once the plants were large I then removed the cover and began spraying with surround. This was, consequently, the first year I had any luck with plants from the squash family. Last year was my fifth year gardening and I too had almost given up on planting the fruits you mentioned. Good luck.
