Hi Tui, my cucumber plants are being eaten by some sort of insect, can you tell me what it is?

Hi Dianne, this could be either slugs and snail or caterpillar damage. If it is caterpillars you may find droppings nearby and probably the easiest way to get rid of them is to try and find the caterpillars and squash them with your fingers, at this early stage of the season, they are probably not very wide spread so this should be easy to do. Alternatively you can spray with a pyrethrum based insecticide, talk to your local garden centre or DIY store for a suitable control. If it is slugs and snails there may be a slime trail visible, spread slug and snail bait such as Tui Quash around your plants, this is a safer slug and snail control option to use around pets, children and wildlife as the active ingredient is EDTA chelated iron. Make sure there are no weeds around the plants as they help harbour pests and diseases. The Tui Team.