What's eating my marketmore cucumber?

Marketmore cucumber faces its biggest threats from cucumber beetles (US) and slugs or glasshouse whitefly (UK under cover). Aphids and two-spotted spider mites also colonise the foliage in hot, dry spells. Cover young plants with row fabric, inspect undersides of leaves regularly, and grow vertically to reduce slug access to fruits.

Adults chew leaves and flowers; larvae attack roots; beetles vector bacterial wilt disease, which collapses vines. Cover transplants with floating row cover until flowering; remove covers for pollination. Yellow sticky traps plus pyrethrin sprays if thresholds are exceeded.

Clusters on growing tips and leaf undersides; sticky honeydew leads to sooty mould; can vector mosaic viruses. Blast off with a strong water jet; introduce or encourage ladybirds and parasitic wasps; insecticidal soap as a last resort.

Fine stippling on upper leaf surfaces; webbing on undersides in hot, dry weather; leaves yellow and drop early. Maintain humidity; release predatory mites (Phytoseiulus persimilis) under cover; use miticide only when mite populations are high.

Ragged holes in young leaves and fruit skin, especially at soil level after rain or irrigation. Train vines vertically to keep fruits off the ground; apply ferric phosphate pellets around the base; use nematodes (Phasmarhabditis) in damp conditions.