Jim Carlock said:

While going through things, I found the word cucurbit...

And it is possible, based that what I thought were Asian
LadyBugs are really cucurbit beetles (spotted cucumber
beetles). The leaves started to dry out and wilt. I'm pretty
sure some of the ladybugs I saw were actual ladybugs. But
there were quite a few bugs out there.

I've rarely seen ladybugs on my cucurbits (cucumbers, melons, squash).
But I *always* see cucumber beetles. They can spread diseases such as
bacterial wilt and mosaic virus.

I grow my cucumbers in a screened box, to exclude the cucumber beetles,
which means I only grow the types that set fruit without pollination. Otherwise
the bacterial wilt will wipe them out.

My soil is really sandy, too. My main fertilizers are alfalfa pellets and
compost made with shredded leaves and large amounts of coffee grounds.
That works for me because my soil test revealed abundant amounts of
phosphorous but very limited amounts of potassium. Phosphorous tends
to stick around in soils, but potassium leaches. Coffee grounds and alfalfa
add nitrogen and potassium but not so much phosphorous.

Youshould consider having your soil tested to find out what your critical
nutrients might be...

--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)