What's eating my persian cucumber?

Persian cucumbers are thin-skinned and particularly attractive to cucumber beetles, aphids, and spider mites. Whitefly can also build up under leaves in warm weather. Slugs damage seedlings at soil level. Cucumber beetles are the top threat as they vector bacterial wilt, which can kill plants quickly.

Chewed foliage and flowers, bacterial wilt causing sudden vine collapse Use floating row covers until bloom, apply kaolin clay, trap with yellow sticky cards, or use pyrethrin sprays

Distorted, sticky growing tips; yellowing leaves; sooty mold on honeydew deposits Knock off with water spray, apply insecticidal soap or neem oil, encourage parasitic wasps

Fine stippling on upper leaf surface, silvery sheen, and fine webbing on undersides in hot dry spells Increase humidity, spray with water, apply neem oil or miticide; avoid broad-spectrum pesticides that kill predators

Ragged holes in seedling leaves and young fruit near the soil; active at night Use iron phosphate slug pellets, beer traps, copper tape around beds, or hand-pick at dusk