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This bug has been reportedly found in the following regions:
Sierra Vista, Arizona Cloverdale, California Preston, Connecticut Glen Ellyn, Illinois Madison, Illinois Manhattan, Illinois Des Moines, Iowa Salina, Kansas Whitefield, Maine Bolton, Massachusetts Millbury, Massachusetts Bay City, Michigan Flint, Michigan Gladwin, Michigan Harvey, Michigan Milaca, Minnesota Croton-on-hudson, New York Fairport, New York Himrod, New York Winston-salem, North Carolina New Springfield, Ohio Novelty, Ohio Wilsonville, Oregon Mercer, Pennsylvania Bethel Springs, Tennessee Hutto, Texas Fairfax, Vermont Onley, Virginia Lake Lac La Belle, Wisconsin Park Ridge, Wisconsin
On Jul 25, 2008, sallyg from Anne Arundel,, MD (Zone 7a) wrote:
I've found these even more attracted to my sunflowers and gourds than to my cukes. They like to go into the male flowers of my night-blooming gourds, so that's a help for handpicking. Otherwise, they fly away at the slightest disturbance.
On Jul 28, 2008, amypreston from Preston, CT wrote:
Can anyone please tell me how to get rid of these before they destroy all of squash, Zucc, cukes and pumpkins!! I would like an all natural versus pesticide.
Thank you
On Nov 24, 2008, McCool from Millbury, MA (Zone 5a) wrote:
Terrible pest! This is the only bug that I have actually declared war on. I am an organic gardener and don't really even like to use the so-called "organic pesticides"; however, I'm tired of losing my entire crop of cukes, summer squashes, etc. As far as I know, there's no way to get rid of them entirely, I just try to keep the population as low as possible each year.
On Mar 27, 2009, dibaston from Whitefield, ME (Zone 5a) wrote:
These beetles are voracious. The only way I was able to control them at all was to go out in the early morning when it was still cool and knock them into a can of soapy water or step on them when they fell on the ground. Another way was to come up under the leaf and squeeze it together, squashing the bugs. Messy but fairly effective.
On Feb 25, 2010, temafilly from Oconomowoc, WI (Zone 4b) wrote:
I put positive to get your attention - radishes will deter them! Last year I planted beans, potatoes, and several varieties of squash - summer, winter and pumpkin. Stripy beetle heaven, right? Not with blooming radish everywhere! Not one bug. I used the young radishes as both spacing markers and guards. I may have overdone things a little with putting a radish every 2' along vining rows, and four around each bush, then scattered among the companion planted beans and 'taters, but it worked.
Let the radish flower and go to seed. There's next years pest control!
However, all that blooming will attract more butterflies, so if you grow brassicas, you may want to cloche them. I did get a Black Swallowtail though! And many Sulphurs. Bees worked hard too, and I'm not argung against good pollination rates.
