| I am relatively new to gardening and have been lucky with not having many bugs so far this year. However, just yesterday I discovered an infestation of a new bug in my garden and I think it might be striped cucumber beetles. Also this morning I found another new bug, this one huge looking like it is covered with armor. Could it be an assassin bug? I'm not sure what to do about the striped bugs as they are all over my pumpkins, spaghetti squash, and (to a lesser degree) cucumbers and melons. Is the second bug a good bug that might eat the bad ones? I've posted pictures in a post on my blog (link below).
Thanks for any help you can give! |
Here is a link that might be useful: My blog post about unknown insects
Integrated Pest Management means that you find control measure for any problems that are not really broadly toxic, that will not kill everything there is including the person applying them, and the first thing is to properly identify what he problem is. A first step in controlling the Squash Vine Borer, they will be found in the stems of any of the Cucurbit fanmily of plants, is to use a wire to kill them and then cover that stem with soil so it will root. The other picture could be a Squash Bug or a Stink Bug but not an assasin bug.
If there are not many hand picking those few and squishing the eggs they laid would be much better than spraying Carbaryl or other very broad spectrum poisons around. If too many to hand pick the next step up in toxicity would be an insecticidal soap, which while a broad spectrum poison has no residual action. Next in line would be Neem Oil products, which while also broad spectrum are less of a long term problem than even pyrethrin based dusts and sprays. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Cucumber Beetles
