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The Spotted Cucumber Beetle has had a heyday in yards this year. It's been eating the petals of petunias, roses and other flowers, munching on hosta leaves and generally decimating squash and cucumbers. Not only is the beetle feeding on some of these plants, but it's introducing disease, too.
“They're terrible this year,” said Jim Kalisch, diagnostician for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
The beetle rides into this area on warm south winds and then benefits from the plant life it finds when it arrives.
This year has been notable for its early and continued strong winds from the south. And all the rain and warmth has set a bountiful table for any bug such as this beetle, that enjoys vegetations.
Source: Jim Kalisch, diagnostician for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
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