I remember discovering my first cucumber beetle as a child and being thrilled that I had found some form of exotic ladybug. I remember asking if they held the same fabled "good luck" as a red ladybug. Today, I know what they are and what destruction that they are capable of, and I am no longer thrilled to find one in my garden.
Know thy enemy
You are finding tiny holes in all of your vegetable plants. Your fruit trees are marked with the same tell-tale holes and there are even a few of your flowers that have not escaped this infestation. If you turn the leaves upside-down and discover a harmless looking, odd-colored ladybug or striped beetle, you are up against a cucumber beetle.
Get rid of cover
Cucumber beetles like to hide under last year's dead plant material and dried vines. Large scale farmers always plow up the cornstalks so cucumber beetles have nowhere to hide.
Get rid of last year's dead crop by turning it into the soil at the end of the season.
Outwit the enemy
Beetles like to feed on seedlings. In warmer parts of the country, if it is possible, plant early before they are born in the summer.
Companion planting
Interspersing your vegetables with plants that the cucumber beetles do not like helps to keep them away. Particularly good are marigolds, radishes and geraniums.
Cover plants
Cover plants with a lightweight garden fabric. Summerweight fabrics screen out a variety of pests including the cucumber beetle, while still allowing in sunlight and air.
 | Effective pest control starts with identifying the plant and the pest, then working out a solution that does the least damage to the environment. |
 | Five easy solutions to control Japanese Beetles in your garden naturally. |
Japanese beetles can do a devastating amount of damage to the leaves of fruit trees, bushes, vegetables, and a number of other outdoor trees, flowers, and plants. They feast on the tender parts of foliage, and they leave behind a path of destruction. |
Every gardener, at one time or another, has had to deal with an infestation of some sort. I myself am something of a gardening novice, but my mother-in-law qualifies as an expert in my opinion. I recently sat down with her and went over various remedies and preventatives. |
Japanese beetles are capable of destroying plants and lawns. There are methods you can use to get rid of them. |
