What's eating my west indian gherkin?

West Indian gherkin is a robust cucurbit but still attracts cucumber beetles, aphids, and spider mites common to the gourd family. Its small bristly fruit offers some physical deterrence, but vine pests are the real concern. Cucumber beetles remain the primary threat due to their ability to transmit bacterial wilt rapidly.

Leaf feeding and bacterial wilt, which causes sections of vine to collapse suddenly Row covers during early growth, kaolin clay application, remove by hand or apply pyrethrin

Curled, discolored growing tips; sticky honeydew; potential mosaic virus transmission Spray off with water, apply insecticidal soap or neem oil, plant nasturtium as a trap crop nearby

Pale stippling on leaves, fine webbing on undersides; worse in hot, drought-stressed plants Maintain soil moisture, mist foliage in the evening, apply horticultural oil or neem oil