Cucumber beetles, whether striped or spotted, are voracious garden pests that can cause serious damage to cucurbit crops. Learn exactly what they are, how to identify them, as well as how to effectively control cucumber beetles using tried and tested methods!
The term Cucumber Beetle is used to refer to two different, yet similar genera of beetles, namely Diabrotica (Spotted Cucumber Beetle) and Acalymma (Striped Cucumber Beetle), both of which are Chrysomelidae.
One of the most common and destructive pests of cucumbers is the spotted cucumber beetle (diabrotica undecimpunctata) These beetles are about 1/4 inch long and are yellow with 12 black spots.
Adult beetles overwinter in plant debris and garden trash. Adults mate and lay eggs in the soil at the foot of host plants after feeding on the blooms of flowering plants.