Pests on my cucumbers.

Cody Crisp

There’s a bunch of bugs along my cucumber vines. I’m very new to growing food and am trying to gain knowledge as I go. I took a couple of pictures, but so far my search results haven’t been very helpful. They always scurry to the other side of the stems when I get close. I was hoping someone could tell me what I’m dealing with, how destructive they are, and any solutions that an experienced gardener would like to share. I’m in the Piney Woods of Texas if that helps.

kbmbillups1

I don't know what kind of bug it is, but I can tell you what I usually do. I fill an old cup from the convenient store with soapy water and flick the bugs into the soap suds. They can't get out and eventually fall to the bottom. It works really well!

LaurieLovesLearning

@Cody Crisp I kept thinking it could be a leaf hopper of some sort. This indicates that it may be, but I'll keep looking.

Here is a suggestion for Texas insect ID:

https://texashighplainsinsects.net/

Could it be a sharpshooter? Scroll down to see.

https://texashighplainsinsects.net/texas-insects-identified

If I'm right, it is a sharpshooter which is a leafhopper. More here:

https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/sharpshooter/

Cody Crisp

I just applied a solution of 1 gallon of water with 4 TBS of baking soda, 10 TBS of HO and 1 TBS of Ivory dish soap. I hope that is effective.

Cody Crisp

I'm a little concerned that no one knows about this bug, but if anyone finds something out, please let me know.

Torey

@Cody Crisp A welcome to TGN's forums if I haven't already done so.

I'm no where close to you so not familiar with the bugs. I don't see any holes in the leaves. Are they eating the plants? Or maybe just laying eggs that will hatch later?

When you are making a soap solution for the garden, it is helpful to add a bit of vegetable oil of some kind to the solution as it will keep it on the plants longer for more contact.

Liquid Castille soap (made from vegetable oils) is recommended as the best one to use as most dish detergents are made from petroleum byproducts and contain other ingredients (colour agents, preservatives, scents, etc.) that might not be good for our plants.

The formula I use is about 1 Tbsp soap to a quart of water along with a bit (1 tsp?) of vegetable oil.

LaurieLovesLearning

@Cody Crisp There are so many insects out there. It looks very familiar, so I've most likely seen a bug from the same family at some point, but like @torey, I am nowhere close to Texas!

I worked with a gal who studied insects for her Ag degree a long time ago & my oldest (now an adult) still loves insects. She's found some really unique ones.

Here is a site we often used for identification. Perhaps you can find out what it is by narrowing down by characteristics. You will want to know if it is good or bad before you kill them!

https://bugguide.net/node/view/15740

You could always try asking on iNaturalist as well. It has worked well for me. They have both a website & an app.

gardneto76

This is a leaf hopper. I don’t know what kind specifically, but they can be a pain and they come in many different colors! I just read in most cases neem oil & insecticidal soaps don’t work because of hairs on their legs protect them. They are bad, like Aphids as they suck the life out of your plants. You can use beneficial bugs like lacewings, lady bugs, & assassin bugs to help eliminate them. I also read to squish them rather than to flick them into soapy water they these guys can escape that. Here is the link I used to find that information fin you want to dig further. https://okrainmygarden.com/leafhoppers-how-to-identify-and-treat-organically/

Cody Crisp

Thank you all! I've been going out there every time I water and just squish them. @gardneto76 that has definitely been effective.. 😂

@torey Thank you for the welcome!

@LaurieLovesLearning Thank you for the resources, they've been very helpful!

... I've lived near the Texas A&M Galveston campus most of my life, why didn't I think to look there?? 🤣

nicksamanda11

Bugs, need I say more?

Cornelius

@Cody Crisp Welcome to TGN! Hopefully you are able to eliminate those bugs before they become too much of a pest.