Will Diatomaceous Earth Kill Cucumber Beetles

If you grow cucumbers at home, you know that these pests can be a real pain. Learn how to deal with cucumber beetles by using diatomaceous earth.

Life Cycle

The female cucumber beetle lays her eggs on the underside of leaves. The eggs hatch about 3-5 days later and the young larvae begin to feed on leaves, stems and roots. The larvae grow quickly, reaching full size in about one month. After this stage, they wander away from their host plants to pupate underground in groups called clusters. They remain as pupae for 2-3 weeks before emerging as adults through a hole in the soil surface (if it’s not too wet).

The adult beetles feed on foliage but do not cause serious damage until they lay their eggs — at which time they can chew large holes in your cukes!

Damage

Cucumber beetles are a problem for gardeners because of their ability to damage plants. They can cause damage to cucumbers and other plants, but they also do damage to humans, animals, and even homes.

Cucumber beetles love eating plants! They eat the leaves, stems and fruit of cucumber plants. This makes the plant look thin and brown or yellowed on top with brown spots on the lower leaves. If there is enough damage caused by this pest it will affect how many fruits that come out of the plant at harvest time which means less money made off your harvest!

These bugs also feed on other types of flowers like roses, dahlias and sunflowers among others so if you see signs of these bugs attacking your flowers then you need a plan for getting rid of them fast before more damage occurs!

Organic Control

• Organic Control. If you’re interested in using organic control methods, you can use a vacuum to remove beetles from the garden. The cucumber beetle trap is another popular choice that works well for managing these pests. You can also use insecticidal soap, neem oil and pyrethrin sprays as alternatives to chemical pesticides.
• Insecticidal Soap. Insecticidal soap is made with potassium salts of fatty acids (potassium oleate), which are derived from plants like jatropha and coconut oils. These salts kill the insects by penetrating their outer layer while leaving other life forms unharmed since they are generally not soluble in water.*
• Neem Oil*. Neem oil is derived from the seeds of neem trees grown throughout Asia, Africa and Central America.* It has been used for centuries as an insecticide due to its naturally occurring compounds called azadirachtins; neem kills by interfering with nerve impulses and impeding normal metabolic functions.*
• Pyrethrin*. Pyrethrin is an extract from chrysanthemums that has been used as an insecticide since at least 1860.* It works by disrupting the nervous system in insects so they become paralyzed or even die within seconds after contact.* Because pyrethrins are highly toxic to fish and other aquatic life forms, care should be taken when applying them near ponds or lakes.*

Kill Cucumber Beetles

Diatomaceous earth is a powder made from the fossilized remains of diatoms. The powder is not poisonous to humans, but it’s harmful to insects. You can sprinkle diatomaceous earth around your garden to kill cucumber beetles.

Another thing you could do is trap them in a jar with water and dish soap until they drown. Or you could use a sticky fly paper trap made just for cucumber beetles if you don’t want an insecticide that will kill other bugs too!

Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a natural, soft powder-like substance made up of fossilized diatoms. These are the hard, glassy shells of single-celled algae that can be found in lakes, rivers, and oceans. To make DE, these fossilized algae are crushed into a fine powder and then used as an organic pesticide for plants and gardens.

The main reason for using DE as a pesticide is because it works by absorbing oils through its pores in order to suffocate insects like aphids or beetles on your plants—and it’s completely harmless to humans! The only time you need to take extra care when working with DE is when it’s airborne; breathing in any dust can cause coughing or throat irritation so make sure you wear goggles so that none gets into your eyes (you can buy them here). Another way to stay safe while applying this pesticide is by wearing gloves while applying it directly onto plants or soil where cucumber beetles may be hiding.

Diatomaceous Earth and Cutworms

You may have heard of diatomaceous earth as a pest control, but how does it work?

Diatomaceous earth is made up of tiny fossilized creatures called diatoms. When the diatoms die, they leave behind a hard, sharp shell that looks like shards of glass. These shells contain a chemical called silica which is poisonous to insects and bugs. The sharp pieces of glass in DE act as razor-sharp blades when they are ingested by an insect’s soft body parts such as its insides or lungs (insects breathe through their skin). Because these shells have no nutritional value for plants, you can use DE on your garden plants without any harmful effects.

You can use diatomaceous earth to control both adult and larval cucumber beetles.

Diatomaceous earth is a natural product that you can use as a dust or spray to control both adult and larval cucumber beetles.

Diatomaceous earth is not harmful to humans, pets, birds or bees. It’s even safe for the environment!

You can buy it in the garden center where you buy your tomato plants and other plants that are susceptible to cucumber beetle damage.

Cucumber beetles are a common issue in gardens during the summer, especially on cucurbit crops. If you see cucumber beetles in your garden, you can use diatomaceous earth to control them. Diatomaceous earth is an effective organic pesticide that won’t harm beneficial insects, but it will kill cucumber beetles.