Hi everyone,
I'm growing in Ontario Canada on a 1/2 acre lot where I live. My gardens have been established for a few years and cucumber beetles and flea beetles have found me.
When I search ways to reduce these pests, one of the first listed actions is to remove "garden debris" as it provides space for the insects to hide, reproduce, etc. But I know the benefits of mulching and I use a lot of leaves to mulch and turn them in each spring.
Any recommendations for reducing numbers of cucumber and flea beetles while embracing more natural garden techniques? I've already tried a neem oil spray, making yellow traps, yellow sticky traps and squishing the cucumber beetles by hand with limited success. This year I plan to row cover all my cucurbits (to keep cucumber beetle out) and plant in new gardens where they won't be any beetle larvae. I row covered by bok choy, but the flea beetles still found a way in 😕
Any thoughts would be appreciated!