striped cucumber beetles

[ramonesfreak]

i planted some cucumber plants this year. just noticed a striped cucumber beetle roaming around on the plant

what I want to know is how in hell does a cucumber beetle find my cucumber plants?

it’s not like i live near a cucumber farm. i’m on a small city lot and i’d bet i’m the only one in the neighborhood growing cucumbers

mother nature is fascinating

[ckissick]

And how do nearly microscopic fuchsia mites find my fuchsias?

[ramonesfreak]

and how do planaria worms find their way into my fish tanks when i’ve introduced nothing new for a year

[RWebb]

likely smell

[mcaterino]

These beetles can feed on just about anything in the cucurbit family, any squashes or melons, as well as cucumbers. There are a number of these that grow wild, and may be weedy even in abandoned lots. So there are likely other host plants closer than you suspect. They do have excellent 'noses' (antennae), too, as RWebb says, and can find their favored plants from a fair distance.

Mike

[wdfifteen]

I've wondered that myself. I have the only cucurbits (that I know of) within a mile, but they manage to find my plants.
I use pesticides until the plants start putting on blossoms, then they are on their own (don't want to kill no bees). More than one year I have had to replant cucumbers in July. The beetles don't seem to be active late in the season, so my second plantings have done OK. Got lucky this year so far.

[Tobra]

Nature finds a way, that is what it does.

[john walker's workshop]

How do flies get into a sealed light fixture? How do fruit flies magically appear?

[Amail]

Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by ramonesfreak

what I want to know is how in hell does a cucumber beetle find my cucumber plants?

It's a combination of facebook, instagram and snapchat.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by ramonesfreak

and how do planaria worms find their way into my fish tanks when i’ve introduced nothing new for a year

immediatly followed by:

Originally Posted by RWebb

likely smell

I know that RW's response wasn't for RF's post, but this is pretty funny.

[RWebb]

actually, planaria can "smell" or... chemo-sense