Cucumber beetle?

[OzoneNY]

I found a few of these in the tomato patch in the last week or so. I only have tomato plants in the garden but I thought Id ask if this is a problem and if so how do I control it?

beetle.jpg

[VC Scott]

I think you mean cucumber beetle. They can affect tomatoes and can be a vector of fusarium. Check out this link concerning organic methods of control.

http://articles.extension.org/pages/...arming-systems

Personally, I don't like to use pyrethrum or spinosad insecticides because they kill beneficials as well as the bad guys. For me, they are a last resort.

[clkeiper]

smashem. they are a problem for anybody who is growing a garden and especially melons or cukes.

[mdvpc]

I edited the title for you.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by mdvpc

I edited the title for you.

Your are a cool dude always around to rescue us from our mistakes.
Worth

[brownrexx]

I have lots of trouble with cucumber beetles on my cukes. I have also seen them on my squash but never on my tomatoes. Maybe you should plant a cucumber plant or two as a trap crop. I use lots of caution with sprays because the bees really love cucumbers and squash and I really don't want to kill bees. If I used a cuke as a trap crop and then sprayed it with spinosad to kill beetles, I would pinch off the flowers to keep the bees away. The cucumber beetles are attracted to the smell of the plant not the flowers.

I have to grow a cucumber variety called County fair just to be able to harvest any cukes at all because the Bacterial Wilt that is carried by the beetles always kills the vines. This is not a disease of tomatoes though and I did not see anything about the beetles carrying Fusarium in the attached link.

[carolyn137]

It is so true that the cuke beetles,both the striped and spotted ones,can carry and transmit several diseases.

The best advice I ever got was to cover the cuke plants,especially,with floating row covers until they started to blossom,and then take it off.That way,in the time that it takes any cuke beetle to their damage,they would have time to mature the cukes, at least the ones that I grew and I grew many different kinds of cukes..

Pyrethin,made from certain daisies and organic has also been used as a preventitive.

Carolyn

[RayR]

I've done all the usual recommendations for year trying to control those evil cucumber beetles, nothing was anywhere near successful until I took a clue from this scientifically proven discovery.
It was not only incredibly effective, it was the cheapest and really no work either.

Read and learn
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=36324

[Worth1]

If I had the money I would buy a new Volkswagen beetle and paint it up like a cucumber beetle.
I would call it the cucumber beetle and have that painted on it to.
Another one would be painted up like a ladybug.

Worth

[OzoneNY]

Originally Posted by Worth1

If I had the money I would buy a new Volkswagen beetle and paint it up like a cucumber beetle.
I would call it the cucumber beetle and have that painted on it to.
Another one would be painted up like a ladybug.

Worth

I have 2 Volkswagen's
(not beetles)

[OzoneNY]

Originally Posted by mdvpc

I edited the title for you.

I guess I typoed?

[OzoneNY]

So are these cucumber beetles a genuine threat to my tomato patch?

[RayR]

Originally Posted by OzoneNY

So are these cucumber beetles a genuine threat to my tomato patch?

No, you might find one resting on a tomato leaf but you'll never see one dining on one.
Cucumber beetles can be vectors for Bacterial Wilt of Cucurbits and is caused by Erwinia tracheiphila, a bacteria that is deadly to some members of the Cucurbit family (not all) and is not a pathogen of Tomato plants. Bacterial Wilt of tomato (there are actually several diseases called Bacterial Wilt of tomato) are caused by completely different species of bacteria.

[OzoneNY]

Ok. So for now I will keep my focus on my annual war on thrips and not be distracted by the evil cucumber beetle

Thanks to all on TV

[HudsonValley]

I had them last year, and noticed that they also really enjoy squash and tomatillo leaves. It was such a hassle when they spread all over the yard. I'm using an inoculant this year, but will resort to an organic garden dust (chrysanthemum-derived) if needed.