Cucumber Beetle on Squash Plants

[Marion]

Have any of you had trouble with the striped cucumber beetle? More importantly, have you managed to get rid of it. I discovered them devouring my plants last night. I hand picked them the best I could and will check again this a.m. to try to save my plants. I want to used organic solutions only. Any suggestions?

[Mygrandmeresgarden]

I've never had that beetle where I live. I find that diatomaceous earth works wonders. You can get it almost anywhere and it does a good job on just about any insect. It's organic and safe for pets. I use it on my collies to deter the ticks.

[Marion]

Jardin de ma grand-mère, merci! Thank you for the reply. Yeh, I`ve been encountering the possibility of usiing diatomaceous earth for various things. I bit the bullet and went to the pool supply store and bought 25 lb bag of it for a whopping $35. However, it`s about in line with the price of bonemeal and I don`t bat an eye when I stock up on that because I use it so much. Besides, it`s worth it if I don`t have to lose my transplants. I went to a local garden centre and mentioned the beatles to a knowledgeable guy who works there. Right a way, he was about to head to some chemicals...and when I said organic and mentioned that I hand picked them rather than using chemicals..he kinda threw up his hands. Not interested himself in such labour intensive work. I am commited to not using chemicals and getting things balanced right so that crops will be healthy and produce naturally.

[Mervyn]

Try this site, it has some options to try for cucumber beetles. I havent tried any of them myself with the exception of Radishes, I've been planting them with squash the last couple of years, they don't get rid of any insects, but many insects will go for the radish and not touch the squash,and the radish still ends up being ok.

http://www.ghorganics.com/CucumberBeetles.htm

[OGrubber]

.....the pool supply store and bought 25 lb bag of it for a whopping $35. .

Usually the DE used for pools has chemicals mixed in, as well. I'd get an ingredient breakdown for your brand to find out if it is pure before using.

[Mygrandmeresgarden]

Jardin de ma grand-mère, merci! Thank you for the reply. Yeh, I`ve been encountering the possibility of usiing diatomaceous earth for various things. I bit the bullet and went to the pool supply store and bought 25 lb bag of it for a whopping $35. However, it`s about in line with the price of bonemeal and I don`t bat an eye when I stock up on that because I use it so much. Besides, it`s worth it if I don`t have to lose my transplants. I went to a local garden centre and mentioned the beatles to a knowledgeable guy who works there. Right a way, he was about to head to some chemicals...and when I said organic and mentioned that I hand picked them rather than using chemicals..he kinda threw up his hands. Not interested himself in such labour intensive work. I am commited to not using chemicals and getting things balanced right so that crops will be healthy and produce naturally.

Bienvenue! Quand ca marche, ca marche!

[Mygrandmeresgarden]

Oh one more thing....diatomaceous earth spreads easily if you use a "Dustin Mizer". I ordered one this Spring and I totally love it!

[Marion]

@ OGrubber: yikes...thanks for the input. I quickly went to my car to check the bag of DE. Then went online to do some research.Nothing conclusive. I did find that the pool DE undergoes some kind of heat process and according to some sources is ineffective for the purpose I'd intended, ie. insect control. Another find is another forum discussion where a member tells of using his leftover pool DE to do just what I want to do. He reports success. From what I can cypher at the moment is "be careful not to breath it in... caution to humans and animals regarding the lungs...and that it won't harm the plants....fingers crossed.

[Marion]

So tell me, those of you who use DE, what's your source? And Mygrandmeresgarden what's this Dustin Mizer?

[Mygrandmeresgarden]

I have an explanation on my blog:
http://mygrandmeresgarden.blogspot.ca/2 ... chive.html

Here's the link to where I ordered it from:
http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/store/tools ... ustinmizer

Here's the video to see it in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttv7YFfMnRE

That should answer all of your questions.