>In "Nettle tea for insect repellant" Allan Balliet wrote: >My current problem - - one for the whole county - - is massive >attacks of cucumber beetles. Any suggestions, aside from peppering?
ATTRA has a new publication under final layout on cuke beetles, which will be soon be available in print and on the web. Contact the author -- Barabara Bellows <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -- for details. How many acres or row feet of cuke crops? How much $ is the cuke crop worth at 120% yield, 100% yield, 75% yield, 50% yield? What cultural strategies are you looking at? What botanical insecticides are you looking at? How many applications will it take? What is the cost per application of botanicals? A promising tactic is the use of cucurbatacin feeding attractants (e.g., raising certain cuke crops as a trap crop), accompanied with botanicals. Just get the ATTRA pub. It's all there. Steve Diver http://www.attra.ncat.org