Cucumber beetle
(Acalymma vittatum)

Overview

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The insect Acalymma vittatum is known as the striped cucumber beetle. This insect is a serious threat to cucumber, squash, melon, pumpkin and gourd crops in Canada. The main threat of this insect is its ability to carry and transmit bacteria and viruses.

Main description

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The adult striped cucumber beetle is yellowish-green in colour and oblong in shape. The species has three distinct black stripes running lengthwise across its back. Its eggs are light yellow or orange in colour and round to oval shaped. The larvae are worm-like and white with a notorious black head.

Scouting

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It is important to begin control as soon as seedlings emerge, as this is critical in large scale cucumber and melon production. Repeated applications of contact insecticides with a different mechanism of action are necessary to protect muskmelon plants from beetle feedings and the transmission of bacterial wilt. The beetles are most active in spring; therefore, it is critical to complete thorough scouting and apply control measures at this time.