There are certain little visitors that arrive in the veggie garden as the weather starts warming up, and beetles are definitely some of them! And here’s where things can get a little confusing. Google “cucumber beetle” and you’ll probably see loads of pictures of a little yellow beetle with three black stripes down its back. The problem is that most of those photos and much of that information comes from America, and that’s not necessarily what we’re looking for here in South Africa.

We have several different leaf beetles that can visit our veggie gardens, including beetles that feed on cucumbers, pumpkins, butternuts, marrows, squash and melons (all cucurbit family). Some of the cucurbit-feeding beetles we see can be orange, reddish or black and orange. So this season I’m not going to get too hung up on trying to identify every single beetle by its proper name. I want you to learn something that I think is much more useful in a home veggie garden: look at your plants, recognise the damage and then find out who is responsible.

And please remember – not every beetle in your veggie garden is a bad guy! We have beneficial beetles too, so don’t automatically squash or spray something simply because it has six legs and is sitting on your cucumber.

Learn to spot the damage

Often the first thing you’ll notice isn’t actually the beetle. It’s a hole. Then another hole. And suddenly you’re standing there wondering who has been having breakfast in your veggie garden. Beetles can chew holes through leaves, nibble around the edges, damage new growth and feed on flowers. This is why I always say that one of your best pest-control tools is simply your eyes. Turn your leaves over. Look around the new growth. Check the base of your plants and have a good look inside those beautiful yellow cucumber, pumpkin and marrow flowers. Beetles can hide in places we don’t immediately notice.

But don’t panic over every hole either. A big, established pumpkin plant can cope with a few damaged leaves. A tiny cucumber seedling with only three leaves is a completely different story. This is why I worry much more about beetles when our plants are young.

Protect the babies first.

Morning patrol… and NIGHT patrol!

Now here’s something I really want you to try this season. Go into your veggie garden at night. Seriously. Grab a torch and take a slow walk through the garden after dark. You’ll be amazed at how different your veggie garden looks when the sun goes down.

Some of the pests that have been hiding away during the heat of the day become much easier to find at night or in the cooler evening hours. And while you’re hunting for beetles, you’ll probably discover all sorts of other troublemakers too – snails, slugs, caterpillars and insects you didn’t even know were there. Look underneath leaves, around stems, close to the soil and inside flowers that are still accessible. Don’t just shine the torch over the top of the plant. Get down there and LOOK. This is actually one of my favourite forms of pest control because if I find the culprit, I can often simply remove it.

No spray bottle. No treating the whole veggie garden. Just me, a torch and a beetle that’s about to have a very bad evening. Do this for a few nights in a row when you first notice fresh damage. It can give you a much better idea of what’s actually eating your plants.

Prevention before the spray bottle

If you’ve struggled badly with beetles on your cucurbits before, protecting young plants with fine insect netting can give them a wonderful head start. You’re simply creating a physical barrier while those little plants are at their most vulnerable. But remember that once cucumbers, pumpkins, butternuts, marrows and melons start flowering, things change. We NEED bees and other pollinators to reach those flowers, so covers need to be managed or removed to allow pollination.

And then, of course, there is mulch. You know I wasn’t going to get through an entire blog without mentioning mulch.  A good layer of organic mulch helps keep the soil cooler, reduces moisture loss, suppresses weeds and supports a healthier growing environment. It isn’t a magic beetle cure, but that’s the whole point – good pest management isn’t about finding one magic solution.

It’s about creating strong plants that can handle a little bit of nature happening around them. Good soil, compost, consistent watering, enough sun, enough space and healthy roots all matter. We’re not trying to grow perfect leaves. We’re trying to grow strong plants.

Okay Tash… but what do I spray?

This is normally the first question people ask me. And I actually want it to become the last question we ask. Before reaching for anything, stop and look at what’s happening. Do you have one beetle? Five? Fifty? Is it actually eating the plant? Is there fresh damage? Is your plant a tiny seedling that’s being hammered, or a huge established pumpkin with three little holes in one leaf?

Those things matter. If I can walk outside and hand-pick the beetles, that’s where I’m going to start. Then I’ll check again tomorrow. If numbers keep increasing and the damage is getting worse, I know it’s time to consider the next step.

As part of our pest-management toolbox at VanZylStead, we use Biogrow Bioneem. Neem works as an anti-feedant and repellent, so I think of it much more as part of getting ahead of pest pressure rather than waiting until the garden is completely overrun.

If we already have a much bigger insect problem, Biogrow Pyrol is the stronger broad-spectrum contact product we keep for targeted intervention.

But that doesn’t mean I’m telling you to spray either product on every beetle you find. Different products are registered for different crops and pests, so always check the current label and follow the instructions exactly. And PLEASE remember the bees. Cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, marrows and melons depend heavily on pollinators. Walk outside on a summer morning and look inside a pumpkin flower – it’s often absolutely buzzing with life.

So we need to be very careful about what we’re spraying and when we’re spraying it. Natural or organic doesn’t automatically mean harmless to every insect in the garden. We’re trying to manage a pest. We’re not trying to kill everything with six legs.

One of the easiest mistakes to make as a new veggie gardener is to think, BUG = BAD.

It doesn’t. Your veggie garden SHOULD have insects. Some are eating your plants. Some are eating the insects that are eating your plants. Some are pollinating your food. And plenty are simply passing through. That’s why I don’t want us running for the spray bottle every time we see something moving. Instead, this season I want you to slow down and become a bit of a garden detective.

Walk through your garden in the morning. Go out again with a torch at night. Turn over leaves. Look inside flowers. Check your seedlings. Look for fresh damage. And when you find a beetle, watch what it’s doing before deciding what you’re going to do about it. Is it feeding? Is there damage? Are there two beetles or twenty? Is your plant coping?

And sometimes the solution really is as simple as a torch, a pair of gardening gloves and being in the right place at the right time. 😂

Happy Gardening

Tash en die Familie

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