Insect Control for Burpless Hybrid Cucumbers
Burpless hybrid cucumbers will be the result of a breeding program aimed at reducing the cucumber’s bitterness. Growing to ten inches in length with thinner skin than standard cucumbers, burpless hybrids grow on vines that may be trellised. Expect to crop the burpless hybrid cucumbers 50 days after planting. In other words, if you’ve taken care not to lose any of your crops to insects.
Kinds of Insects
Lots of pests are attracted to all types of cucumbers, for instance, burpless hybrid number. The cucumber beetle is among the most voracious. There are two different types of the beetle, both are yellowish and have dark stripes or spots on their backs. These pests not only destroy seedlings and fruit but they’re transmitters of the organism that causes bacterial wilt. Other common pests you’ll discover in the cucumber garden include aphids, spider mites and squash bugs.
Chemical Control
Soil drenches and foliar sprays are the most common insecticide application methods. Carbaryl, manufactured under several brand names, which is effective on the cucumber beetle and is available as a powder or dust. Squash bugs are a little trickier to eliminate with chemical pesticides due to their capacity to conceal their eggs and nymphs. Because a large amount of insecticide is needed to ensure killing adults, eggs and nymphs, organic and mechanical control is typically recommended. All chemical insecticides should be implemented either in the early morning or late in the night to prevent damage to honey bees.
Organic Control
Although tests are currently underway in the University of California, right now there’s not any organic insecticide for cucumber beetle infestations. Some pests can be controlled mechanically. Squash bugs and their egg masses have been picked off the plant and little aphid infestations are eliminated with a strong blast of water from the hose. Heavier insect infestations require the use of insecticidal soaps and horticultural oils, which can be quite effective in controlling aphids, spider mites and whiteflies. Thorough coverage of the plant, including the rear of the leaves, is the only way to guarantee complete control, as the product must fully cover the pests.
Biological Control
Biological pest control is the use of a single organism to eliminate another. The “great” organism is known as the “beneficial insect,” and it’s released in the garden to attack and destroy its natural enemy. A good example is Celatoria diabroticae, a type of fly attracted into the adult cucumber beetle. Heterorhabditis bacteriophora nematodes are microscopic soil-burrowing worms that seek out and destroy the beetle’s larvae. They can be found online and in the many big gardening centres to be combined with water and sprayed on the ground. Because burpless hybrid cucumbers grow so fast, however, biological controls are often ineffective.
Cultural Control
The more powerful your burpless hybrid plant is, the better it can withstand damage from pests. Water and fertilize the crops on a constant schedule to maintain them actively growing. A deficiency of water especially makes the cucumber plant prone to spider mite infestations. A layer of straw mulch over the ground discourages slugs and cucumber beetles. The mulch will also help maintain weeds, a common source of pests, to a minimum.