Controlling red-pumpkin-beetle infestation organically

Red-pumpkin-beetles are voracious eaters of cucurbits and munch newly germinated 2-4 leaves stage cucurbits just in no time before you witness the economical demage. They love eating melons and gourds.

Taming them is not rocket-science or you do not need to lead the chemical war, few cultural methods and management practices will keep them at bay. Don't panic, handle them peacefully and they really look charming by the way, right!!! You simply need to understand their behavior. Once you get to know, taming them is not really tough-game.

Their grubs remain in soil and start eating as cucurbits start germinated in the very early stage. They really relish the taste of all cucurbits except bitter-gourd. They might be not suffered from diabetes unlike human that they do not like eating bitter-gourd!!.

Few strategies to tame them

1. Sprinkle ash (dung ash/soft-wood ash) on germinated plants.  
2. Soil solarization in hot-months to kill the grubs in soil.
3. Spray neem oil as precautionary method once in 3-5 days interval. 
4. Manual collection and destructing them by putting under the soil in early stage.
5. Germinate seed ex-situ in nursery and transplant. Once plant start growing they don't feed much and plant has mechanism to bear the damage.