"Jim Carlock" wrote in message
...
"Matthew Reed" stated:
Cucumber beetles are devestating my cukes, squash,
and are nibbling on my beans and sunflowers. I
don't want to use the chemicals because the plants are
starting to produce - my zuccinnis are exploding, cukes
are blooming, etc.
What works with these things, but won't render the fruit
of the plants inedible?

Try planting some radish seeds in your cuke hills. Don't
pull the radish. Let the radish go to seed. Radish should
benefit the cucumber and repell the cucumber beetles.
Some helpfule links:

http://www.ghorganics.com/CucumberBeetles.htm
http://www.ommas-aarden.net/comp_plant.htm
http://www.minifarmhomestead.com/gar...anionplant.htm
http://plantfairnursery.com/new_page_2.htm

The above links were found by searching Yahoo for:
+"cucumber beetle" +radish

I initially looked "cucumber beetle" up in the index of a
book, which mentioned interplanting two or three radish
and letting them go to seed to help protect against these
beetles. Tansy is supposed to protect against cucumber
beetle as well, but I don't see it recommended as a
"companion plant" for cucumbers.

The book also suggests filling a small container 3/4 full
with water and adding some cooking oil to it to act as
a trap for cucumber beetles.

Hope this helps.

--
Jim Carlock
Post replies to the group.

Thanks. It's too late to find seed for sale now. Someone else recommended
marigolds but they didn't repel the beetles and themselves became infested
with some kind of tiny insects.