How to protect your plants from insects

The main drawback of growing cucumbers is that they are frequently attacked by leaf beetles, which are yellow black-striped insects whose larvae are red-orange.

• Also read: Seven varieties of cucumbers to discover this summer

The leaf beetle prefers cucumbers, but it also eats the leaves and flowers of most plants belonging to the cucurbit family (squash, squash and melons).

Unfortunately, in addition to devouring plants, this insect is a vector of diseases such as powdery mildew and bacterial wilt, and spreads these diseases wherever it goes, causing cucumber foliage to turn yellow, shrivel, and die.

The most effective way to avoid beetle damage is to grow your plants under shelter. The ideal option is to grow the cucumbers under a small structure permanently covered with agrotextile, a kind of transparent veil that protects the plants from insects without preventing sunlight from touching their leaves.

However, since pollinating insects cannot access the plants in this way, you will have to pollinate the flowers manually, using a brush.