Imagine being in a world where very large and delicious looking plants developed that are poisonous to your kind. Then one generation, some of you gain the ability to eat this plant. Suddenly you have all of this great food that only your species can have. Even your predators can’t stand it, they begin avoiding eating your kind because your body contents have become toxic to them. You are free to survive with low competition and you evolve to love the plants more and more.

And this is roughly the hypothetical history of the striped cucumber beetle, who may become your enemy in your squash garden or squash farm. Despite their name, they definitely do not only feed on cucumbers. The striped cucumber beetle is a pest of cucurbit crops, or the plant family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squashes, melons and gourds. These plants contain cucurbitacin, which is really an anti-herbivore defense. This is precisely the “poison” that the striped cucumber beetles are after.

The striped cucumber beetle can do damage to your squash crops in a number of different ways. As larvae, they feast on the roots. As adults, they will eat the leaves and flowers. If the flower is ruined, the fruit will not develop. And as if those aren’t bad enough, the striped cucumber beetle, along with the spotted cucumber beetle are the two known vectors of bacterial wilt.

Bacterial wilt is a cucurbit disease that effects squash as well as pumpkins and gourds. While watermelons are immune, cucumbers and muskmelon are most susceptible. Once this disease starts, it is impossible to stop. This is why it is very important to keep your striped cucumber beetle population to a minimum, if not obsolete.

This can be done by planting trap crops that are treated with insecticide, or pesticide can be used if the beetle presence is spotted. It’s possible to remove the adults by hand into a disposal container, but this would not be a permanent solution as they can keep rapidly reproducing.

There is some research indicating that a vermicompost fertilizer can reduce the damage done by the striped cucumber beetle. Scientists claim that the vermicompost is superior to inorganic compost in that there are more phenolic compounds in plants grown using vermicompost.

Finally, if you happen to be the only person growing squash in your local area, try skipping it for a year, grow something else. It’s worth a shot!

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