This document discusses several common insect pests that affect pumpkin plants. It describes the symptoms caused by each pest and identifies the causal insect. The major pests covered are cucumber beetles, squash vine borer, squash bug, armyworms, cabbage looper, flea beetles, aphids, cutworms, and thrips. For each, the document provides details on the symptoms seen in infested plants and fruits, as well as characteristics of the insect responsible for the damage.

2. Pumpkin Insects
A
Lecture To ToT trainees ( FFS)
By
Mr. Allah Dad Khan
Provincial Coordinator IPM KPK
MINFAL Pakistan

7. Cucumber beetles (Western striped cucumber beetle, Western spotted cucumber
beetle, Banded cucumber beetle)
Acalymma vittata
Diabrotica undecimpunctata
Diabrotica balteata
Symptoms
• Stunted seedling; damaged
leaves, stems and/or petioles;
reduced plant stand; plants
may exhibit symptoms of
bacterial wilt; scars on fruit
caused by beetle feeding
damage; adult beetles are
brightly colored with either a
green-yellow background and
black spots or alternating
black and yellow stripes
• Cause
• Insect
Pumpkin plant infested with
cucumber beetles

8. Cucumber Bettle

9. Squash vine borer
Melittia cucurbitae
Symptoms
• Wilting plants; holes in
vines or at base of petioles;
green frass (insect
excrement) visible around
holes
• Cause
• Insect

10. Squash bug
Anasa tristis
Symptoms
• Speckled leaves which turn yellow
and brown; wilting plants; dieback
of runners; blemished fruit; fruit
death; adult squash bugs are often
misidentified as stink bugs; they are
grey-black in color with orange and
black stripes on the edges of their
abdomen; nymphs are greenish
gray in color and often covered in
white powder; female squash bugs
lay conspicuous copper colored
eggs on the undersides of the
leaves
• Cause
• Insect

11. Armyworms (Beet armyworm, Western striped armyworm, etc.)
Spodoptera exigua
Spodoptera praefica
Symptoms
• Singular, or closely grouped circular to
irregularly shaped holes in foliage;
heavy feeding by young larvae leads to
skeletonized leaves; shallow, dry
wounds on fruit; egg clusters of 50-150
eggs may be present on the leaves; egg
clusters are covered in a whitish scale
which gives the cluster a cottony or
fuzzy appearance; young larvae are pale
green to yellow in color while older
larvae are generally darker green with a
dark and light line running along the
side of their body and a pink or yellow
underside
• Cause
• Insect

12. Cabbage looper
Trichoplusia ni
Symptoms
• Large or small holes in leaves;
damage often extensive;
caterpillars are pale green with a
white lines running down either
side of their body; caterpillars are
easily distinguished by the way
they arch their body when
moving; eggs are laid singly,
usually on the lower leaf surface
close to the leaf margin, and are
white or pale green in color
• Cause
• Insect

13. Flea beetles Epitrix spp. Systena spp
Symptoms
• Small holes or pits in leaves that
give the foliage a characteristic
“shothole” appearance; young
plants and seedlings are
particularly susceptible; plant
growth may be reduced; if
damage is severe the plant may
be killed; the pest responsible for
the damage is a small (1.5–3.0
mm) dark colored beetle which
jumps when disturbed; the
beetles are often shiny in
appearance
• Cause
• Insects

14. Aphids (Green peach aphid, Melon aphid)
Myzus persicae
Aphis gossypii
Symptoms
• Small soft bodied insects on
underside of leaves and/or stems of
plant; usually green or yellow in
color, but may be pink, brown, red
or black depending on species and
host plant; if aphid infestation is
heavy it may cause leaves to yellow
and/or distorted, necrotic spots on
leaves and/or stunted shoots;
aphids secrete a sticky, sugary
substance called honeydew which
encourages the growth of sooty
mold on the plants
• Cause
• Insect

15. GP Aphids
Nymphs of the green peach aphid Adult

16. Cutworms Cutworms Agrotis spp. eridroma saucia Nephelodes minians and others
Symptoms
• Stems of young transplants or
seedlings may be severed at soil
line; if infection occurs later,
irregular holes are eaten into the
surface of fruits; larvae causing the
damage are usually active at night
and hide during the day in the soil
at the base of the plants or in plant
debris of toppled plant; larvae are
2.5–5.0 cm (1–2 in) in length; larvae
may exhibit a variety of patterns
and coloration but will usually curl
up into a C-shape when disturbed
• Cause
• Insects
Cutworm larva severing plant
stem

17. Thrips (Western flower thrips)
Frankliniella occidentalis
Symptoms
• If population is high leaves
may be distorted; leaves are
covered in coarse stippling and
may appear silvery; leaves
speckled with black feces;
insect is small (1.5 mm) and
slender and best viewed using
a hand lens; adult thrips are
pale yellow to light brown and
the nymphs are smaller and
lighter in color
• Cause
• Insect