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Cucurbits
> Year-Round IPM Program > Bloom > Identify Pests and their Damage
Cucurbits
Identify Pests and their Damage—Bloom
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| Arthropods |
Diseases |
- Aphids (green peach, melon)
- Beet armyworm
- Cabbage looper
- Cucumber beetle adults (especially in honeydew, crenshaw, and casaba melons)
- Cutworms (in honeydew, crenshaw, and casaba melons)
- Spider mites
- Squash bug (in squash, pumpkin, and melon)
- Yellowstriped armyworm
- Whiteflies
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- Downy mildew
- Powdery mildew
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Monitor for the following pests or their damage. Manage as needed according to the Cucurbits Pest Management Guidelines.
Names link to information on identification and management.
Click
on photos to enlarge
| Arthropods |
Beet armyworm
Identification tip: The larva is usually dull green and has wavy, light-colored stripes running lengthwise down the back and broader stripes on each side. |
Cabbage looper
Identification tip: A green caterpillar with a narrow white stripe along each side and several narrow lines down the back; has a characteristic arch as it crawls.
Monitoring tip: Monitor adult flights with pheromone traps and observe egg laying to time treatments. |
Cucumber beetle damage
Identification tip:
Beetles chew on flowers and leaves during the bloom period. |
Cutworm
Identification tip: The mature larva is robust, about 1-1/2 inches long, with brown or gray mottled skin. It tends to curl into a C-shape when disturbed. |
Green peach aphid adults
Identification tip: Adults are slender in form and light green or yellowish. The winged form is pale or bright green and black, with a large dusky blotch on top of the abdomen. |
Melon aphid adults
Identification tip: Adults are round and yellowish (right) or greenish black with ridges (left). There are winged and wingless forms. |
Spider mite damage
Identification tip: Feeding causes leaves to become pale and stippled. As feeding progresses leaves dry up and die. |
Squash bug damage
Identification tip: Under heavy squash bug feeding, plants begin to wilt, and the point of attack becomes black and brittle (not shown here). |
Armyworms
Identification tip: The larva is almost black, with two prominent and many fine, bright yellow stripes on the side. |
Whitefly damage (silverleaf whitefly)
Identification tip: Feeding frequently causes leaves to turn whitish or silver. It is important to distinguish silverleaf whiteflies from other species. |
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| Diseases |
Downy mildew
Identification tip: First appears as small, pale green to yellow, angular spots between the veins. Eventually the spots coalesce and the leaf will turn brown. |
Powdery mildew
Identification tip: This disease first appears as pale, yellow spots. Spots enlarge as white, fluffy mycelium grows over plant surfaces producing spores and giving lesions a powdery appearance. |
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