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Controlling cucumber beetles in the garden the garden

BY GRANT MCCARTY CONTRIBUTOR

One of the main insect pests I have seen this summer in squash is cucumber beetles. While given the name cucumber beetle, they will target almost all members of the squash family. I have encountered them on pumpkin, zucchini, winter squash, and cucumbers this season. These beetles are yellow and green in color with either black spots or strips on them. They tend to be around the size of ladybird beetles. Cucumber beetles are heavily destructive and their numbers can increase substantially during the growing season. When ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT BY DRS. ROBERT & SONIA VOGL CONTRIBUTORS

With all the stress placed on society from covid-19 and the collapsing economy, the arrival of the latest storm only adds problems. With downed trees and power lines ComEd responded quickly to the loss of power. Even though they have fortifi ed the lines to make them more resilient the projected increase in storm frequency and intensity remain a costly challenge.

An area of Wisconsin with which we are familiar has benefi tted from an upgrading of the electrical grid by providing four di� erent routes by which electrical service can be brought to an area if a storm disrupts it. In addition they have placed some home service underground to reduce the potential of falling tree limbs disrupting service.

These improvements are seen as a means to increase the resilience of electrical service and provide additional voltage stability. They also signify the anticipation of additional economic growth. Similar improvements are being applied to the electric grid in many areas of the country but are increasing the cost of service. With the installation of smart meters an Illinois neighbor reported that ComEd was able to quickly know he had lost service. A transformer had failed and they were able to identify the problem via a computer program, bring a new transformer to the site and restore service.

Unfortunately with widespread damage you are looking for these in your garden, look into the fl owers, under leaves, and near the base of the plant. These beetles are very good fl yers and will move pretty quickly if they are disturbed.

Some growers I know will apply a sticky adhesive like craft glue spray to yellow/ orange colored plastic plates near the plant. As it’s the same color as fl owers, it may attract beetles away from your cucurbits. Others have used trap crops like blue hubbard squash to attract the cucumber beetles away. Intercropping with corn and broccoli has also been shown to address cucumber beetles. Straw may provide it takes time to identify all the problems and make the needed repairs. Upgrading the electrical grid is one way to improve the reliability of electrical service. The more widespread use of distributed electrical service in homes, businesses or communities can also increase the reliability of electrical service.

As technological progress continuous to lower costs and improve battery life, battery backup is gaining acceptance. A few summers ago we lost grid service and our small battery bank maintained a dedicated circuit until the sun rose the next morning and service was restored.

With the latest storm we lost grid service for a relatively short time as our smart meter alerted ComEd that we were without service. Later we saw a tree had fallen across our drive blocking its use. As we started cutting up the tree the neighbor arrived with his tractor to push the branches o� the drive. We spent the next couple of days disposing of the limbs and branches.

The neighbor mentioned his son, who operates a tree service, had a long week of work as there were many downed trees and branches in the area. One tree fell on the roof of a home and required a crane to stabilize it as the branches were being cut up and lowered o� the roof. Competition for such equipment intensifi es and they are not always readily available.

When storms are widespread, the demand for corrective action is intense relief for the plantings as well. Of course, there are a number of insecticides that can manage them.

One of the main actions you can take is to collect and destroy the male fl owers of your squash plants. Each squash plant produces male and female fl owers that are needed for pollination and the development of your squash. A female fl ower will have a swollen base right behind the fl ower compared to a male fl ower that does not have this. Male fl owers bloom for usually a single day. As cucumber beetles hide in these male fl owers, a easy step is to remove these fl owers and throw them away. As you can with multiple needs to address and only limited resources to meet the demand. Unfortunately, such a dramatic increase in demand can only be met on a priority basis so some areas have a slower recovery time. As a society we have been slow responding to the covid-19 crisis and slower yet responding to climate change. The delays are proving costly to human health and the economy. The situation is further complicated by the weak fi nancial condition of state and local governments which are hard pressed to deal with the accumulated imagine, if you do remove the male fl owers this may lessen the squash that develops on your vines. However, you most likely have enough pumpkins, winter squash, and watermelon already forming and the removal of these male fl owers will not make a di� erence. If you are growing zucchini, cucumbers, and others that continually are yielding, you might be cautious of removing these male fl owers at least until they have shriveled up.

Grant McCarty is the Local Food and Smalls Farms Educator of the University of Illinois Extension. His tips and tricks for local eating

Storms and electrical service

and your at-home garden appear in TRRT. burden on the public sector.

For now helping neighbors is appropriate and could stimulate a broader community spirit of helping one another based on a system in which people swap services. Historically sharing services and equipment has been the basis of neighborhoods and small farm communities. Financial necessity could rekindle cooperative endeavors.

Such e� orts are essential and inspiring but insu� cient to address the challenges of a changing climate.

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