Cucumber.—The striped cucumber-beetle is about a fourth of an inch in length, yellow in color, with three black stripes on the wing covers. It eats the leaves of the young plants and if unchecked ruins the chances of obtaining a crop. One of the best ways of dealing with this insect is to prevent it from gaining access to the plants by the use of cheese-cloth or wire mosquito-netting screens. These can be made by tacking the material used over bottomless boxes, not so high as to shade the plants, but of sufficient width and length to give them room to grow. Another method is to place two or three short sticks in the center of the hill and over these spread a “tent” of cheese-cloth, holding down the edges with stones and earth. Tobacco dust sprinkled plentifully over and around the plants acts as a repellent.
The twelve-spotted cucumber-beetle may be controlled by the same measures and by spraying with lead arsenate.
Egg-plant is subject to the same pests as the potato.
Kale and Kohlrabi are attacked by the same insects that attack cabbage.
Muskmelon is subject to the same insects as the cucumber.
Onion.—Thrips is a tiny insect which infests onions, sucks the sap from the leaves, and causes them to assume a silvery appearance. Most vegetables are subject to its attack. It can be controlled by using a contact spray, such as nicotine solution or kerosene emulsion.
Potato.—The most troublesome insect pest of the potato is the well-known Colorado potato-beetle. This may be controlled by picking the insects from the plant by hand, or by dusting the leaves with Paris green which has been diluted by mixing it with fifty times its bulk of air-slaked lime. Spraying the plants with lead arsenate is even more effective.
The flea-beetle eats small holes in the leaves, making them appear as if they had been riddled with shot. The spray treatment adopted for the Colorado beetle will also take care of them.
Blister-beetles are slender insects varied in color which attack potatoes and many other vegetables. Lead arsenate is the best remedy.
Pumpkin is likely to be affected with the same pests as cucumber and squash.