Cucumbers & Pest Control

Cucumbers are a fast-growing, high-value crop that are especially susceptible to pests like whiteflies, thrips, spider mites, and aphids. These pests can rapidly reduce plant vigor, fruit quality, and overall yield. Successful pest control in cucumbers relies on early scouting and the strategic use of biological control agents. Beneficial mites and insects—such as predatory mites, parasitic wasps, and entomopathogenic nematodes—offer an effective, chemical-free way to manage pest populations and support healthy plant development. An integrated pest management (IPM) approach ensures steady growth and consistent production throughout the season.

Monitoring & Mass Trapping

Yellow Horiver Wetstick cards and Yellow Horiver Rollertraps are essential tools for pest management in cucumber crops.

For monitoring purposes, hang one card every 20-40 square meters. If your growing space is smaller, ensure there are at least 4 cards per compartment. These sticky cards are crucial for detecting pests like thrips, whiteflies, aphids, and sciarid flies.

Check and assess the cards weekly to monitor pest populations. Additionally, perform thorough crop inspections from the soil to the canopy. Inspect the soil, stems, leaves, and joints for signs of pests. Always flip leaves to examine both upper and lower surfaces, especially targeting new and older growth where pests tend to hide.

For mass trapping, deploy Yellow Horiver Rollertraps or additional cards at a rate of 800 per acre or 100 every 500 meters square. Space them in a grid-style pattern throughout your crop at a height of 30cm. These traps effectively capture most flying insects, including aphids, thrips, whiteflies, moths, and fungus gnats, preventing them from reaching your plants.

This proactive trapping approach is your first and most crucial line of defense—stopping insect migration before it reaches your cucumbers.

Thrips Control Products

Thrips Control Products	Preventative	Elimination	Repeat Applications	Notes
Swirski-Mite Plus	One sachet every 2 square meters	One sachet every .75 square meters or 8 ft.	Every 3-4 weeks	Feeds on 1st instar thrips larvae.
Swirski Bulk	n/a	50-300 predatory mites per square meter	Bi-weekly or as needed	Feeds on 1st instar thrips larvae. For extra support, when using the sachets.

Spider Mite Control Products

Spider Mite Control Products	Preventative	Elimination	Repeat Applications	Notes
Spidex Vital	10 predatory mites per square meter	25-100 predatory mites per square meter	Weekly or bi-weekly as needed	Feeds on all stages of spider mites. Best used in preventative or light curative situations.
Spidex Vital Plus	1 sachet per plant along post rows and side walls	1-3 sachets per plant in hot spots	Weekly or bi-weekly or as needed	Feeds on all stages of spider mites. Best used in preventative or light curative situations.
Spidex Red	n/a	25-100 predatory mites per square meter	Weekly or bi-weekly or as needed	Feeds on all stages of spider mites. Best used when you have hot spots with webbing.
Spidend	n/a	5-10 per square meter per hot spot	Apply weekly for 3-4 weeks	The larvae of this product feeds on all stages of spider mites. Best used when you have hot spots with webbing.
Spical Plus	One sachet every 2 square meters	One sachet every .75 square meters or 8 ft.	Every 3-4 weeks	Feeds on all stages of spider mites. Best used in preventative situations, as this predatory mite does not like walking in spider mite webbing.

Whitefly Control Products

Whitefly Control Products	Preventative	Elimination	Repeat Applications	Notes
Enermix	1.5 parasitic wasps per square meter	10-15 parasitic wasps per square meter	Weekly or bi-weekly as needed	This product starts working as soon as it is introduced to the plants. However, visible results, such as whitefly pupae changing color, will become noticeable after 14-21 days. The goal is to achieve 80% parasitism. Due to the nature of parasitoids, you will never reach 100% parasitism. Leave the deleafed leaves on the floor if parasitism rate is above 50%. This allows the parasitic wasps to continue to emerge from removed leaves.
Enstrip	1.5 parasitic wasps per square meter	10-15 parasitic wasps per square meter	Weekly or bi-weekly as needed	Use this product when you are growing in cooler conditions (below 77°F (25°C)) and in lower dispersed whitefly situations as they live longer so they can oviposit eggs over a longer duration. This product starts working as soon as it is introduced to the plants. However, visible results, such as whitefly pupae changing color, will become noticeable after 14-21 days. The goal is to achieve 80% parasitism. Due to the nature of parasitoids, you will never reach 100% parasitism. Leave the deleafed leaves on the floor if parasitism rate is above 50%. This allows the parasitic wasps to continue to emerge from removed leaves.
Ercal	1.5 parasitic wasps per square meter	10-15 parasitic wasps per square meter	Weekly or bi-weekly as needed	Use this product in warmer temperatures, typically above 77°F (25°C). It also responds more quickly to high-pressure whitefly situations because they oviposit all their eggs over a shorter period than Encarsia. This product starts working as soon as it is introduced to the plants. However, visible results, such as whitefly pupae changing color, will become noticeable after 14-21 days. The goal is to achieve 80% parasitism. Due to the nature of parasitoids, you will never reach 100% parasitism. Leave the deleafed leaves on the floor if parasitism rate is above 50%. This allows the parasitic wasps to continue to emerge from removed leaves.
Yellow Horiver Wetstick Cards	One card per square meter	Two cards per square meter	Replace cards when full	Hang 30 cm above crop, move the cards up as the tomato plants grow.

Aphid Control Products

Aphid Control Products	Preventative	Elimination	Repeat Applications	Notes
Aphipar	1 parasitic wasp per square meter	2-5 parasitic wasps per square meter	Weekly or bi-weekly as needed	Controls the Cotton Aphid, Tobacco Aphid, and the Green Peach Aphid. This product starts working as soon as it is introduced to the plants. However, visible results, such as aphids turning into mummies, will become noticeable after 14-21 days.
Aphipar-M	1 parasitic wasp per square meter	2-5 parasitic wasps per square meter	Weekly or bi-weekly as needed	Controls the Cotton Aphid, Tobacco Aphid, and the Green Peach Aphid. This product starts working as soon as it is introduced to the plants. However, visible results, such as aphids turning into mummies, will become noticeable after 14-21 days.
Ervipar	1 parasitic wasp per square meter	2-5 parasitic wasps per square meter	Weekly or bi-weekly as needed	Controls the Potato Aphid, Tobacco Aphid, and the Foxglove Aphid. This product starts working as soon as it is introduced to the plants. However, visible results, such as aphids turning into mummies, will become noticeable after 14-21 days.
Aphilin	1 parasitic wasp per square meter	2-5 parasitic wasps per square meter	Weekly or bi-weekly as needed	Controls the Potato Aphid, Foxglove Aphid, and the Green Peach Aphid. This product starts working as soon as it is introduced to the plants. However, visible results, such as aphids turning into mummies, will become noticeable after 14-21 days.
Aphidend	n/a	5-10 gall midges per square meter	Weekly or bi-weekly as needed	Generalist beneficial insect that feeds on all aphid species. This product starts working as soon as it is introduced to the plants. However, visible results, such as aphids turning into mummies, will become noticeable after 14-21 days.

Fungus Gnat Control Products

Fungus Gnat Control Products	Preventative	Elimination	Repeat Applications	Notes
Entomite	50-100 mites per square meter	n/a	One application at planting	Feeds on fungus gnat eggs and larvae.
Yellow Horiver Wetstick Cards	n/a	Two cards per square meter	Replace cards when full	Hang underneath the canopy near the soil line to capture flying adults.
Entonem	n/a	100,000 per square meter for sawdust or coco bags 150,000-200,000 per square meter for rockwool	Weekly or bi-weekly as needed	Works on fungus gnat larvae.
Atheta	5 predatory beetles per square meter	n/a	One application at planting	Feeds on fungus gnat eggs and larvae.