These cucumber beetles I'm seeing will attack anything yellow or even just has a yellow flower it seems. This includes tomatoes, melons, beans, etc. This year they laid their eggs on my amaranth! Although only the melons failed to survive the attack, they delayed maturation by at least 2 weeks. I'm looking for something organic and safe to spray.

Cucumber beetles are very much a destructive pest and will target plants other than cucumbers. We get quite  a few calls with people who insist they have an infestation but have never grown cucumbers! I don't think it's particularly important what you're growing that can lead to an infestation; if there is a population somewhere close by and you have a vegetable garden, expect some activity which will need some kind of treatments.

If you review our CUCUMBER BEETLE CONTROL article, you'll learn we have many organic solutions that work well. The more common concentrates we sell include the 3 IN 1 SPRAY and the MULTI PURPOSE INSECT KILLER. Both work well and will handle any garden pest. The 3 In 1 contains the fungicide so for some people, this is the way to go. But if you have a stubborn problem and feel you need the strongest organic spray around, go with the Multipurpose Insect Killer as it works well.

Here are direct links to the products mentioned above:

http://www.cucumberbeetles.com/cucumber-beetle-control

http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/concentrates/3-in-1-fim-32-oz

http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/concentrates/multi-purpose-insect-killer-24-oz

My husband and I have planted a real nice garden and we want to keep it nice. Last year and all was going well but then all of a sudden cucumber beetles took it over. Is there a way we can stop this from happening again this year? Please Help..

First you should read our CUCUMBER BEETLE CONTROL article. Once you understand this pest, you'll realize it's best to start treating early on, before they get out of control and take over.

Second, I'd get one of the concentrates we have listed. The organic solutions are fine and work well. Treat early on with something like the MULTIPURPOSE INSECT KILLER or GARDEN DEFENSE WITH NEEM concentrates. Either sprayed a few times early on in the season will keep them away. Then if you see any during the growing period, treat again.

I have seen spotted cucumber beetles around my organic garden and have been able to eliminate them by hand picking them off as I see them. But they just keep coming back. Is there any effective organic spray I can use which won't poison my plants? I have some really nice tomatoes and squash growing too and I'm afraid if I don't treat, these beetles will start eating everything.

We have several organic products that can be used effectively for cucumber beetles. One of the most common products used over the years has been INSECTICIDAL SOAP. It will work on them but it doesn't last and it's not the strongest option. At this time we recommend either MULTI PURPOSE INSECT KILLER or the GARDEN DEFENSE WITH NEEM. Both are extremely effective on any type of beetle and they seem to be active for a few days which helps reduce the amount of times you'll need to spray.

What most people don't realize is that 90% or more of their cucumber beetle problem is that once they get on your property, they tend to stay there breeding in the soil. If you want to get rid of them once and for all, you should treat the ground direcly under and around your garden. This will help reduce effective egg laying and cucumber beetle larvae survival so in the end, you'll be able to control them before they ever become a problem. This is a much smarter approach when it comes to treating this pest.

I have been using insecticidal soap for many years and though it has worked in the past, it seems like the beetles just come back in a day. Is this not working anymore? What other organic remedy can you suggest? Cucmber beetles seem to be pretty tough.

You are right; cucumber beetles are tough. Their outer insect skin is thick and rigid making normal sprays viturally useless against this tough armor. Though INSECTICIDAL SOAP has long been used on them, there are other and newer products which work much better these days on this garden pest.

Currently we have two organic gardening sprays which work well. The MULTI PURPOSE INSECT KILLER will be fine if you are only concerned about spraying for nuisance insects. It will handle most anything and you will find it seems to last a week or more when used on cucumber beetles. If you also have mites or fungus in the garden, use the THREE in ONE CONCENTRATE. This product uses several actives which work on many insects as well as common vegetable garden fungus disease. By using the Three in One, you can take care of several concerns with just one spray.

I saw a striped cucumber beetle close to my garden but none on my vegetables just yet. Is it possible they are hiding? I live close to Canada and my garden has never had cucumber beetles before so I don't know where they came from.

The Striped Cucumber Beetle is an organic gardeners nightmare. They are commonly found from Central America all the way north to Canada. And though they may be hard to see, chances are if you have one you have several. More importantly, once they start laying eggs they will become a "regular" in your vegetable garden so it's best to  knock them out early on and not to give them a chance to get well established.

Fortunately we have many products available all of which are listed in our CUCUMBER BEETLE CONTROL article. If you only wish to treat the area around your vegetables, the VEGETABLES PLUS is a good option. Treatments will last 2-3 weeks and it will leave a good residual to get any hatching larvae that might be emerging from eggs left by gravid females.

If you prefer to use something organic, the 3 IN 1 or the MULTI PURPOSE INSECT KILLER are both highly effective on cucmber beetles and can be sprayed as often as needed.

Cucumber beetles have been a problem in my garden for the past few years. This year I want to do something about it since they damaged so many of my plants last season. What do you have that's organic and non toxic?

There are several organic products for cucumber beetles that work well. The concentrates are best suited for the problem so you can just mix them up as needed and spray when needed. If you have a small garden and don't expect to be using much spray, we have a 2 LITER SPRAYER that's ideal for the task. Add some MULTI PURPOSE INSECT KILLER to the tank mix and you'll be able to control any pest invasion. This product is certified organic and approved for use in organic gardening.

I'm seeing some cucumber beetles in my garden and would like to know what you suggest I use for organic pest control. I don't want to spray anything toxic and have used soap before. Is there anything better?

Insecticidal soap works Ok for insect control but there are several other organic products that work better. We've had good results with both GARDEN DEFENSE WITH NEEM and MULTI PURPOSE INSECT KILLER. These are organic gardening compliant, effective and easy to use. All you need is a good PUMP SPRAYER and you can treat the problem daily if needed. A good spraying every week will usually keep the garden free and clear of this pest and save your cuc's, melons and other veggies.

What do you have to kill some cucumber beetles?

We have a wide range of products that can be used to kill cucumber beetles. You can read about them all in our CUCUMBER BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE which explains all you need to know about this garden pest. Our organic solutions include INSECTICIDAL SOAP and MULTI PURPOSE INSECT KILLER which both seem to work pretty good. The strongest material is the VEGETABLES PLUS PERMETHRIN which will provide a good 4-7 days of residual. All these products are concentrates and should be applied with a good PUMP SPRAYER.

I have striped cucumber beetles damaging several plants in my vegetable garden. What do you have that's organic?

We have several organic gardening products you can use. The most common over the years has been INSECTICIDAL SOAP but the 3 IN 1 CONCENTRATE has become quite popular since it handles fungus as well as mites. Another popular one is the MULTIPURPOSE INSECT KILLER. For some reason, the striped cucumbers can be tough and the Multipurpose Killer seems to be best for this beetle. Apply it with a good PUMP SPRAYER and be sure to treat all the plants in the area since striped cucumber beetles like a wide range of plants.

What would be a safe cucumber beetle insecticide to spray directly on the plant?

We have several good cucumber beetle insecticides. Organic gardeners have long known about INSECTICIDAL SOAP which works Ok. It can be used over and over as needed but it doesn't seem to last long and it's not the best organic choice. Two newer products which work really well are the 3 IN 1 and the MULTI PURPOSE INSECT KILLER. Both are concentrates and very effective on a wide range of garden insects so they can handle any problem you might have.