Organic Cucumber Beetle Control

By Barbara Pleasant
Published on April 24, 2013
article image
Illustration By Keith Ward
Cucumber beetles wouldn’t be quite so bad if they didn’t transmit deadly bacterial wilt to cucumbers and melons.

Wondering how to get rid of cucumber beetles? Row covers and kaolin clay should be your first line of organic cucumber beetle control. This article is part of our Organic Pest Control Series, which includes articles on attracting beneficial insects, controlling specific garden pests, and using organic pesticides.

Cucumber Beetles

The most common of cucumber pests are black and yellow cucumber beetles, including striped cucumber beetles, spotted cucumber beetles, and similar species. In addition to chewing on leaves, flowers and fruit of cucumber, melon and squash, cucumber beetles transmit a disease called bacterial wilt, which causes plants to wilt and die, and may spread several viruses.

Organic controls for cucumber beetles include handpicking, excluding them with row cover barriers, or using kaolin clay to disguise plants. You also can make cucumber beetle traps and use companion planting to deter these cucumber pests. Cucumber beetles are found throughout North America, and more than one species may be found in the same garden.

What Are Cucumber Beetles?

These two types of cucumber beetles are frequent pests of cucumber family crops:

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368