This year we have a moderate stripped and spotted cucumber beetle
infestation. They are voracious, and devestate small plants, especially
beans. I've used insecticidal soap, but it only kills the ones it comes in
contact with. I tried some canola based spray, but it likewise only kills
the ones it comes in contact with. I pinch them when I see them, but they
are everywhere. I used Bug-B-Gone, which coats the leaves with poison, and
that worked good but you have to wonder where the poison residues are going.
Also, with the warm weather we have been having, my garden has exploded into
a jungle, and it's just not feasible to use any kind of toxic spray on all
of the things I have that they like to eat. They eat sunflowers, beans,
squash, okra, cucumbers, they especially love young pumpkin plants, and
tomatillos, and I have a lot of all of those. How else can these be safely
controlled on such a large scale?