Cucumber Beetles on Courgette (Zucchini)
How to identify and get rid of cucumber beetles on Courgette (Zucchini). Size: 5–7mm.
Identifying cucumber beetles on Courgette (Zucchini)
Yellow-green beetles with black stripes or spots on leaves, flowers, and stems, with chewing damage and scarring visible on fruit.
Life cycle
Adults overwinter in soil and plant debris, emerging in spring to feed and lay eggs at the base of plants. Larvae feed on roots underground for several weeks before pupating. Multiple generations per growing season.
Damage to Courgette (Zucchini)
Cucumber beetles chew leaves, flowers, and fruit surfaces directly, and can transmit bacterial wilt and mosaic virus, making them a significant threat beyond the direct feeding damage.
How to treat cucumber beetles on Courgette (Zucchini)
Hand-pick beetles in early morning when sluggish, use row covers until flowering, and apply appropriate insecticide for heavy infestations.
Preventing cucumber beetles on Courgette (Zucchini)
Use floating row covers from planting until flowering, rotate crops yearly, and monitor closely given the disease risk these beetles carry.