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Iowa

Are there any ag agronamists out there who know if rootworm beetles and cucumber beetles are the same insect? They sure look an awfull lot alike. I also know that monsanto has used pumpkins as an atractant for rootworm beetles in some of it's rootworm resistant corn plots.

7/24/2006 1:58:59 PM

Buffalo, MN ([email protected])

There are multilpe corn rootworm beetles, southern and western for sure. Check out this site.
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/veg/ef311.htm

7/24/2006 7:39:37 PM

[email protected]

They're all Coleoptera but they're all different.

http://tolweb.org/Coleoptera

Western Corn Rootworm (WCR) = Diabrotica virgifera virgifera
Striped Cucumber Beetle = Acalymma vittatum
Spotted Cucumber Beetle = Diabrotica undecimpunctata

Amazing things these beetles.

7/25/2006 2:23:06 AM

Iowa

Tremor,
could it be possible that cucumber beetle larvae are feeding on our pumpkin's roots? Or possible cornrootworm larvae are? I know I have the rootworm beetles in the patch also, but corn fields are close by. Just curious, not really too concerned, I farm and I know how much damage rootworms can do to corn and it wouldn't surprise me if they are in the pumpkin patch also as I know some seed companines use pumpkins to attract the rootworm beetles to make sure there is a good population of larvae there the next year for testing their rootworm resistant corn variesties. Thanks
Ralph

7/25/2006 11:16:04 AM

[email protected]

Ralph,

I do believe that under your circumstances that this cross-crop feeding can & does occur. Soil applied Admire would do it.

7/25/2006 2:07:10 PM