Spray an insecticide, such as Ortho® Insect, Mite & Disease 3-in-1, following label instructions carefully. Spray blooming plants in the early morning or in the evening, when beneficial pollinators are less likely to be active.
Bifenthrin, cyhalothrin, or cypermethrin will control cucumber beetles, squash bugs, squash vine borers, and pickleworms, but wait 3, 7, or 1 days, respectively, after spraying and before harvest.
Cucumber beetles
Symptoms: Chewed leaves, irregular, jagged holes.
Mix 1 cup of vegetable oil with 1 tablespoon of mild liquid soap. Add 2-8 teaspoons of this mixture to 1 quart of water and spray your plants as above. The oil in this spray smothers the insects, so it is effective on aphids, thrips, mites, and scale.
Use repellents. Non-toxic repellents are available in garden centers that naturally repel bugs with such ingredients as garlic or hot-pepper oil. Some are spray-on liquids, others are granular that can be scattered around the base of plants.
Cucumber beetles and flea beetles can find crops shockingly fast, so it's best to be prepared with a physical barrier over them as soon as possible. Prevention is key; once you have those pests they can be tough to manage.
Insecticidal soaps kill by suffocation, they appear to disrupt the cellular membranes of the insect, and they remove protective waxes that cover the insect, resulting in dehydration. Insecticidal soaps are also an effective leaf wash to remove honeydew, sooty mold, and other debris from leaves.
Acidic-loving plants such as azaleas, blueberries, hydrangeas, rhododendrons, and roses will benefit from a sprinkling of coffee grounds around the base of plants. Vegetable crops that may benefit from coffee grounds include carrots, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, and radishes.
Insecticidal soap
Insecticidal soap is one of the best ways of getting rid of aphids, as well as lace bugs, leafhoppers, mealybugs and thrips. To create insecticidal soap, combine one cup of vegetable oil with one tablespoon of dishwashing soap or pure castile liquid soap at Walmart.
First off, grow cucumbers in sheltered areas of the garden. Avoid open, exposed sites or low spots in the garden where cold air will collect. Grow the fruit along fences, boulders, or shrubs to provide them with some protection from the cold. If a sudden cold snap is forecast, cover the cucumbers.
High concentrations of soap can burn plant foliage, especially when plants are stressed, temperatures are over 90°F and humidity is high.
Buy traps.
Yellow sticky traps work well, or you can buy traps specifically designed to catch cucumber beetles. Spray an insecticide, such as Ortho® Insect, Mite & Disease 3-in-1, following label instructions carefully.
By combining various techniques such as cultural practices, biological control agents, resistant cultivars and targeted pesticide applications, growers can maintain a balance between pest control and environmental sustainability, while safeguarding the health and yield of their cucumber crops.
Cucumber plants thrive in heat and sunlight; they need a minimum of six hours of bright, direct sunlight daily and temperatures between 65 and 85°F. 3 However, too much direct sunlight causes leaf burn and brown crinkly leaf edges on cucumbers. Eventually, the leaves turn yellow and die.
If severe cutting and cleaning doesn't rid the plants of the pest, you can apply a spray or soil treatment, such as diluted Castile soap or garlic barrier (an extract of garlic mixed with water and sprayed on plants).
Vegetable Oil Spray
A homemade, natural pesticide made from vegetable oil mixed with a mild soap (such as Dr. Bronner's Castile soap) can have a devastating effect on certain troublesome insects, such as aphids, mites, thrips, etc.
Bugs hate the smells associated with repellency, such as lavender, citronella, vinegar, peppermint, and geranium. These oils are considered a natural way of driving away bugs from your home without harming you, your family, and other animals.
Vinegar is one of the best ingredients to make a pest control spray. Vinegar is one of the best ingredients to make a pest control spray. It is effective in repelling ants, mosquitoes, fruit flies, and many others. Creating a mix is quite simple and is considered safe for humans and pets.