Re: the plague!!!

Robert, if I remember correctly, last year a major grower from Iowa had a major cuke beetle infestation, and finally won the war with garlic spray of some type!!! Hope this helps!!! Peace, Wayne ----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Trusch" <rtrusch@cox.net> 
To: <pumpkins@hort.net>
Cc: "megan reiss" <sempton@yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, June 02, 2008 7:54 AM
Subject: Re: the plague!!!
Spray them with Ortho Max systemic insect killer. It works well and is fairly inexpensive. Cuke beetles also spread diseases as well. That is why growers use fungicides as well. There are some herbal remedies but nothing that can stop a herd of hungry cuke beetles. 


---- megan reiss <sempton@yahoo.com> wrote:
this year, i was really planning to have a pumpkin that was at least a few hundred pounds (2 or 300), large enough to take to the local Fair at the end of the summer. 

i got awesome seed stock from kind people around the country.

i prepped the soil well.
i started the seeds indoors and coddled them with seaweed fertilizer and so on. 

introduced them slowly to the outdoors.

what do you think happened?

freaking cucumber beetles.

never had a problem with them before.
noticed them last year for the first time -- they nibbled slightly on some of the pumpkin skins themselves, but didn't cause any major damage. 

this year, they are DEVOURING my pumpkin plants and won't go away!
i have been spraying insecticidal soap like a fiend, spraying hot pepper wax ... it may work for a few hours or maybe a day or two, and then the beetles are back.
the other day, they were just swarming all over my prize pumpkin, at least a dozen of them, and they kept coming right back no matter how much i sprayed.
finally i went inside and made up a concoction of straight red pepper flakes and atomic hot sauce with a little water, and doused the entire plant in it, since i feared it was a lost cause anyway.
i didn't notice beetles for a day or two, but i'm sure they'll be back again. 

miserable bugs.  it figures.

i feel like i will end up with NO pumpkins this year, at this rate.

no wonder why people spray poison all over everything.

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