The best way how to deter cucumber beetles is with row covers or some other covering on the plant. Cucumber beetles will emerge in mid spring, so row covers should be in place as soon as the plants are put in the ground to protect them from the cucumber beetles.

What do cucumber beetles hate?

Grow radish, nasturtium, and tansy to repel cucumber beetles. Nasturtium can also be grown as a trap crop for squash bugs. Companion plant with buckwheat or cowpeas to attract predators of cucumber beetles such as tachinid and syrphid flies, parasitic wasps, and Pennsylvania leatherwing.

How do you get rid of cucumber beetles naturally?

How to Get Rid of Cucumber Beetles Naturally

1. Diatomaceous Earth. Much like Sevin dust, this non-toxic powder is a tremendous organic beetle control remedy.
2. Beneficial Insects.
3. Till the Ground.
4. Yellow Sticky Trap.
5. Use Transplants.
6. Shake Them Off.
7. Plant Late.
8. Mulch.

What scent are cucumber beetles attracted to?

Cucumber beetles are attracted to the color yellow, and female beetles like the smell of eugenal based oils. So to make your own traps, you will need a yellow disposable cup, some sticky tree goop (or Vaseline) and some cotton balls that have been soaked in clove oil.

Do marigolds keep cucumber beetles away?

Companion Planting There are few different plants you can try to interplant with your cucumbers to repel the cucumber beetle. These include flowers such as nasturtium and marigold. Or vegetables like radishes and corn.

How do you keep cucumber beetles away?

You can try to protect your cucurbits by building a floating row cover or similar barrier during early to mid-June to keep the striped cucumber beetles away from your plants. Be sure to remove the barrier when cucurbits start to flower.

What gets rid of cucumber beetles?

How to Get Rid of Cucumber Beetles

1. Inspect newly planted cucurbit plants for the presence of this beetle; be watchful when plants are seedlings.
2. Use yellow sticky traps to catch cucumber beetles and other pests.
3. Knock beetles to the ground and catch them with a piece of cardboard placed under the plant.

What to spray on cucumbers for bugs?

Bugs don’t like soap and one way to get small bugs like aphids and thrips off of your plants is to use a homemade bug spray. To make this use 1 tablespoon of liquid soap mixed with 1 gallon of water. Peppermint scented soap is best but any type will do.

What attracts cucumber beetles the most?

Cucumber beetles are attracted to host plants by a chemical called cucurbitacin, which gives cucurbits their bitterness and likely is used as a defense against less-specialized herbivores (Deheer and Tallamy, 1991).

Are cucumber beetles attracted to clove oil?

Eugenol oil attracts female cucumber beetles, and clove & allspice oils are comprised of about 90% of this attractant. These oils don’t attract any other insect, so it’s a safe bait.

How do you attract beetles?

Beer/Molasses Bait. A mixture of beer and molasses of equal parts can be prepared and simply placed in a bucket and hung from a tree limb. This sort of bait is good for attracting various beetles, especially some cerambycid beetles (longhorn beetles). Insects fly to the bait and land in it.

What do marigolds repel?

Marigolds – The marigold is probably the most well-known plant for repelling insects. French marigolds repel whiteflies and kill bad nematodes. Mexican marigolds are said to offend a host of destructive insects and wild rabbits as well.

Do nasturtiums repel cucumber beetles?

Growing nasturtiums as companion plants: When planted with cucumbers and tomatoes, nasturtiums may repel cucumber beetles, whiteflies, aphids, and squash bugs. Planting nasturtiums alongside eggplant or squash plants can also help repel cucumber beetles.