If bacterium is present, there should be a whitish bacterial ooze that forms a string between the 2 cut ends. However, this technique is sometimes difficult to use for diagnosis and should not be relied on as the sole indication that the bacterium is either present or absent. Therefore, the possibility of squash bug feeding should be considered when determining if wilt is present in a field. A major concern with SCB is the potential impact of bacterial wilt particularly for the most wilt-susceptible cucurbits such as cucumbers and muskmelon. Control tactics that result in fast knockdown are the most effective for preventing bacterial wilt.
Bacterial wilt can occur in any size plant.
However, control may be necessary all the way up to fruiting as larger plants are susceptible to the wilt as well. Despite the potential for bacterial wilt, we generally see wilt problems only about 1 out of 5 years in Minnesota. Based on defoliation only, action thresholds were recently revised for Minnesota. Monitoring should occur weekly until initial infestations are detected. Once beetles are present, monitoring should occur more frequently to allow for a comparison of populations to the action threshold, or to detect the presence of any bacterial wilt.