Pest identification
What's eating my honeydew melon?
Cucumber beetle (striped & spotted)
Signs: Chewed foliage, scarred rind, and rapid vine wilt from bacterial wilt inoculation
Control: Row covers until pollination, kaolin clay, pyrethrin or spinosad at petal drop
Aphids (melon aphid)
Signs: Sticky, yellowed leaf tips and curled new growth; sooty mold and potential virus transmission
Control: Reflective mulch, water jets, insecticidal soap, or lacewing larva releases
Spider mites
Signs: Fine yellow stippling and silvery webbing on leaf undersides; severe cases cause premature leaf drop
Control: Avoid drought stress, apply neem oil or sulfur spray in the evening, release predatory mites
Groundhogs (woodchucks) & raccoons
Signs: Fruit bitten open or eaten at the soil end; burrow damage near plant crowns
Control: Hardware mesh exclusion fencing buried 12 in deep, live traps (check local regulations), harvest as soon as ripe
Keep honeydew melon pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
- What eats honeydew melon — the species this cultivar belongs to
- What eats honeydew melon — our other guide for the same plant
- What's wrong with my plant? — the diagnosis apps compared
- Common honeydew melon problems & fixes
- Honeydew Melon watering schedule
- Honeydew Melon light requirements
- Full honeydew melon care guide
Honeydew Melon pests — FAQ
What is eating my honeydew melon?
Honeydew melons share cucurbit pests: cucumber beetles vector bacterial wilt, aphids sap new growth, and spider mites explode in hot weather. Squash bugs can wilt vines. Deer, raccoons, and groundhogs raid ripe fruit. Because honeydew holds high sugar, it's particularly attractive to animal raiders as it nears harvest.
How do I get rid of cucumber beetle (striped & spotted) on honeydew melon?
Chewed foliage, scarred rind, and rapid vine wilt from bacterial wilt inoculation Row covers until pollination, kaolin clay, pyrethrin or spinosad at petal drop
How do I get rid of aphids (melon aphid) on honeydew melon?
Sticky, yellowed leaf tips and curled new growth; sooty mold and potential virus transmission Reflective mulch, water jets, insecticidal soap, or lacewing larva releases
How do I get rid of spider mites on honeydew melon?
Fine yellow stippling and silvery webbing on leaf undersides; severe cases cause premature leaf drop Avoid drought stress, apply neem oil or sulfur spray in the evening, release predatory mites
How do I get rid of groundhogs (woodchucks) & raccoons on honeydew melon?
Fruit bitten open or eaten at the soil end; burrow damage near plant crowns Hardware mesh exclusion fencing buried 12 in deep, live traps (check local regulations), harvest as soon as ripe