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Can anyone help me please. All was fine just the other day, but this evening all my Gherkins plants are looking very sick, so are the Cucumbers and the Courgettes. The leaves are turning yellow and some have even turned brown and crispy! The Gherkins have scars on the skin and are stunted, there are little insects the size of ladybirds all over the plants. They are brown with two yellow dots on their backs. I've been squashing them bit they move very quickly and jump of the plant and into the mulch. When they think it's safe they jump back on to the plant and attack the gherkin fruit and the leaves. What are they and what should I do? This is the first time I've ever experienced these little B... critters. 
I think that they are Cucumber Beetles, I've never had these before and I'm rather surprised that they got through my companion planting defences. I have pulled up all the plants that they have damaged because I've read that they spread diseases through the plants that they inhabit. So Spag Squash, Cucumbers, Gherkins and Courgettes are all going in the compost. On the bright side I now have more room for my winter salad greens. I think that If I had got my Cucs etc established earlier in the season I'd have been okay, also keeping them covered until they flowered and maybe a few more companion plants, I should have got an irrigation system sorted and not watered overhead and maybe next time I will space out the Cucs types more rather than lumping them together. Never mind we live and learn. 
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