Growing degree days since April 1: 993 GDD (Average (11 year): 794) (From the Illinois State Water Survey Degree-Day Calculator)
4 inch soil temp: 72.8°F (10 am 4-inch soil temperature under bare soil) (From the Illinois State Water Survey Illinois Climate Network)
Spotted and striped cucumber beetles are active and feeding on cucurbits in much of the state. These cucumber beetles are vectors of the pathogen that causes bacterial wilt of cucumbers and muskmelons. Spotted cucumber beetles always have 12 distinct spots on the wings. The front, center spots are distinct and do not form a triangle as they do on the bean leaf beetle. Striped cucumber beetles have distinct black stripes along the inner and outer edges of the wings, and the stripes run all the way to the ends of the wings. The underside of the abdomen is black. Both of these insects overwinter as adults and move into fields and gardens in April through May, as soon as temperatures warm up and their food plants become available. They lay eggs at the base of their host plants, and larvae develop below ground, feeding on the roots. One or two summer generations of adults emerge and feed, mate, and lay eggs; adults of the latter of these summer generations overwinter. See the 2015 Midwest Vegetable Production Guide and Monitoring and Decision Making for Cucumber Beetles on Muskmelon for more info on scouting (including the use of yellow sticky traps) and control.
"Making Farm to School a Reality" Workshop. University of Illinois Extension will be presenting at the two workshops (Chicago and Springfield) sponsored by the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, in partnership with the Illinois Farm to School Network,highlighting successful local farm to school projects, the U.S. Farm to School Act of 2015 and what you can do to support more farm to school efforts throughout Illinois! The Springfield workshop will be held on Wednesday July 1st at 6pm at the Springfield Public Library Carnegie Room North.
Source: University of Illinois