Saving cantaloupe from cucumber beetle?

Enough said, saw many of these little guys tonight.  Those are striped cucumber beetles correct?   What's the best way to save the Jenny Lind cantaloupe it is on?

https://extension.umaine.edu/ipm/ipddl/publications/5038e/

Thats a tough battle. one I have been waging for many years. I have tried just about everything from traps to making my own flowers with attractant oils, etc without success. This season I may have started winning..Keeping beetles and others from getting to the vines. Netting, was so successful I actually had an abundance of cucumbers..My vines grew out of their protective nets and were therefore exposed to them...Netting is my way of going...pollination will be addressed

I have the ones with spots.  Barriers seem to be the way to go!

Scorpio Rising wrote:I have the ones with spots.  Barriers seem to be the way to go!

Spotted cucumber beetles do not over winter in the north, they move up from the south, run their course and die.
Striped beetle do over winter in the north, they run their course, leave eggs, hibernate to do their thing the following season.
Both beetles carry a built in virus called bacterial wilt. This disease prevents fluids from reaching areas in a plant, the plant withers and dies.  It cannot be stopped once infected.

Masses of these nasty little buggers have infested my garden, too.   

Here's a great article on various methods of control; perhaps employing some these ideas, along with the barrier methods mentioned in previous replies, would put a significant dent in the problem.  The comments posted below the article contain helpful information, as well.

http://www.highmowingseeds.com/blog/organic-control-measures-for-striped-cucumber-beetles/

GB

jimmy cee wrote:Thats a tough battle. one I have been waging for many years. I have tried just about everything from traps to making my own flowers with attractant oils, etc without success. This season I may have started winning..Keeping beetles and others from getting to the vines. Netting, was so successful I actually had an abundance of cucumbers..My vines grew out of their protective nets and were therefore exposed to them...Netting is my way of going...pollination will be addressed

Jimmy,

What kind of net do you use, and how is pollination accomplished while the netting is in place?
Save

Ginger Blue wrote:Masses of these nasty little buggers have infested my garden, too.   

Here's a great article on various methods of control; perhaps employing some these ideas, along with the barrier methods mentioned in previous replies, would put a significant dent in the problem.  The comments posted below the article contain helpful information, as well.

http://www.highmowingseeds.com/blog/organic-control-measures-for-striped-cucumber-beetles/

GB

Gardening humor from this article:  The beetle and the damage done...lol.....child of the 70s....

Still, horrible pests.....yuk.

Ginger Blue wrote:

jimmy cee wrote:Thats a tough battle. one I have been waging for many years. I have tried just about everything from traps to making my own flowers with attractant oils, etc without success. This season I may have started winning..Keeping beetles and others from getting to the vines. Netting, was so successful I actually had an abundance of cucumbers..My vines grew out of their protective nets and were therefore exposed to them...Netting is my way of going...pollination will be addressed

Jimmy,

What kind of net do you use, and how is pollination accomplished while the netting is in place?
Save

 Joann fabrics utility fabric...$3.99 a yard. Wait for 60% off sale.
This netting has larger holes in it, some can get through, however I find there is enough distraction to keep many bugs out. When plants have become robust and full of flowering buds, I open at times...
Reason I use this net is, I like the durability, very strong, durable and will last.

jimmy cee wrote:Spotted cucumber beetles do not over winter in the north, they move up from the south,

...south... can we have a discussion about your exporting these to me? I understand your not wanting to keep them, buuuuut....

Ugh, not even June and I just saw my butternut squash hosting a cucumber beetle rave.  Sigh.

No_Such_Reality wrote:Ugh, not even June and I just saw my butternut squash hosting a cucumber beetle rave.  Sigh.

Hey!  I don't now what you have done...

http://articles.extension.org/pages/64274/managing-cucumber-beetles-in-organic-farming-systems

Decent article.

Again:

https://www.highmowingseeds.com/blog/organic-control-measures-for-striped-cucumber-beetles/

They are bad motor scooters....

I have done just about everything imaginable to deter these creatures. made artificial flowers with eucalyptus oils, in bottles painted yellow... made yellow sticky traps, and it goes on and on...The best is netting to keep them out. Next is to actually physically pick them when you can. They are frisky bugs and will take off quickly.. One good method is to carry around a glass of soapy water, when one is seen in a flower, hold the glass of water under the flower. When the beetle comes out they drop....right into the bath....LOL...I feel so elated when this occurs. Another, is a small  portable vacuum, can get them. I've also used a pair of long nose needle pliers, ( spring opened ) get them inside, many cases there are two together.
Dont believe all of the remedies for these critters,  I've spent years battling them..Best methods are netting...And remember, these cucumber beetles are extremely active at night, go out with a flash light...Have fun....
Another possible, Twice a season, these beetles populate, if you can plant late and sometimes get past the first batch , that can help. This needs to be looked into because it can change yearly with our erratic weather patterns nowadays.

Scorpio Rising wrote:

No_Such_Reality wrote:Ugh, not even June and I just saw my butternut squash hosting a cucumber beetle rave.  Sigh.

Hey!  I don't now what you have done...

http://articles.extension.org/pages/64274/managing-cucumber-beetles-in-organic-farming-systems

Decent article.

Again:

https://www.highmowingseeds.com/blog/organic-control-measures-for-striped-cucumber-beetles/

They are bad motor scooters....

Not much, that's what I've done.  That first article is even more depressing, imo.  Basically every thing listed is marginally effective short or using spinosad and blanket poisoning the entire garden.  

I suppose I could go pick beetles every night, but that is likely futile too.

I have used my dust buster on them. I will use spinosad on the plants but not the blooms.

I have a dust buster for squash bugs!

sanderson wrote:I have a dust buster for squash bugs!

this may sound naive, but how does a dust buster work on the dreaded squash bug?

this is the easiest way to kill cucumber beetles if you are doing daily walk thru in your garden. Fill a hand pump spray bottle with light weight mineral oil. one touch of the spray will stop them in their tracks. don't spray the entire leaf of the plant. the oil will suffocate the bug.

to treat the heavy armor squash bug, you will need heavyweight mineral oil. it stops them dead in their tracks. it like the roach on the TV commercial yelling out "RAID!!!" as the doom cloud is approaching. you just spray once, keep searching for others. when you come back they will be in a position as if frozen in time. really amazing to see it. no folding of the legs, no falling over, just stop dead in their tracks.

I quit growing yellow and zucchini squash because I just don't have time to look under those large leaves for the bug. if you have time, this is a quick organic fix.

Has, I vacuum them, especially adults with babies. One big swoop. Then dump the contents in soapy water.

has55 wrote:

sanderson wrote:I have a dust buster for squash bugs!

this may sound naive, but how does a dust buster work on the dreaded squash bug?

The dust buster vacuum's those cucumber beetles right up. Squash bugs are a different matter.

An interesting experiment ( I have no beetles this year ) I have no plants either....dissolve i a bar of ivory soap in a gallon container, when all done start with 1 tbsp per gallon. Try locating a cucumber beetle and spray it. The soap will ruin the bugs protective coating and then die...Try this and see if you can follow that beetle....I would love to have tried this..
This applies to all pests

let me get this straight. A dust buster is a vacuum cleaner?

has55 wrote:let me get this straight. A dust buster is a vacuum cleaner?

A hand held vacuum cleaner.  This one is souped up but dust busters are not usually this large.  Even this one really has a hard time sucking up the squash bugs.


Here is another one.  This one was not powerful enough to get any Squash Bugs.  But it did work for smaller bugs such as cucumber beetles.

wow,excellent tools. Men, the women have you beat on this tool. excellent idea use for the garden.