Cucumber Beetles: Organic and Biorational Integrated Pest Management

ATTRA – National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (www. ncat. attra. org) is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and is funded under a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural BusinessCooperative... More

ATTRA – National Sustainable
Agriculture Information Service
(www.
ncat.
attra.
org) is managed
by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and is
funded under a grant from the
United States Department of
Agriculture’s Rural BusinessCooperative Service.
Visit the
NCAT Web site (www.
ncat.
org/
sarc_current.
php) for
more information on
our sustainable agriculture projects.

Introduction
C
ucumber beetles are pests of cucurbits in most areas of the United States.

Cucumber beetles transmit bacterial
wilt, squash mosaic virus and can increase
the incidence of powdery mildew, black rot
and fusarium wilt.
They also damage plants
directly by feeding on roots, stems, leaves
and fruits.

This publication will focus on organic and
biorational control methods that fit into
an integrated pest management approach.

Organic control measures include delayed
planting, floating row covers, trap crops and
using predatory organisms and botanical or
biorational insecticides.

Species of cu Less