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EmailHere are tips on how to identify, eliminate, and control squash bugs.
What are Squash Bugs?
Squash bugs are the bane of a gardeners' existance! They are very difficult to kill and cause havoc. These bugs inject a toxin into the plant and suck the sap right out of it.
The leaves will wilt, dry up, turn black, crisp, and brittle. Smaller plants will die.
How to Identify Squash Bugs
The squash bug is fairly large (over 1/2-inch long) with a brownish body and flat back. If you squash them, they will stink.
They overwinter in your dead leaves, vines, under boards, and even in buildings. They fly to the plants as soon as vines start forming to mate and they lay egg masses on the undersides of the leaves.You'll find adults beneath damaged leavles and near the plant crown.
Photo Credit: University of Delaware Cooperative Extension
How to Control Bugs
- Early detection is critical! You want to catch squash bugs before they grow into adults or they are very difficult to kill.
- Pick egg masses off the plants in the morning and later in the day. One reader fills a vase with water and liquid detergent and flicks the squash bugs into the water. Once the bugs are dead, it's fine to dump the water anywhere.
- Place a board or shingle in the garden at night. During the night, both adults and nymphs will congregate underneath the board. Squash between two hard surfaces in the morning and dispose.
- Insecticides (such as carbaryl/Sevin) are most effective if applied when eggs are hatching. See your garden center for controls that are locally approved.
- Keep checking your plants, at least daily. If there are no more than a few vines infected, keep collecting and destroying the bugs and crushing the egg clusters that you find on the undersides of leaves.
- Consider keeping vines covered until blossoming begins. Remove the cover for pollination needs. There is only one generation of squash bugs per year.
- Avoid deep, cool mulches like straw or hay that provide an environment that these bugs seem to love.
- Prevention is key: In the fall, be sure to burn or compost old squash vines to rid your garden of any possible shelters for breeding and over-wintering.
- Rotate your crops.
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Select varieties of squash that are resistant to the squash bug if you have a big problem.
See our Squash & Zucchini page for more plant care tips.
Comments
The squash "stink bugs" I
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By susan lawlor
The squash "stink bugs" I have are not even touched by a soapy water spray! I had one survive the wash machine! They are invading my house too! ( Long Island, NY)
I have cleared away all the
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By vicki bower
I have cleared away all the vines & rot. Nothing but dirt now until next Spring. Is there something to treat the soil with now to rid it of the squash bugs?
Fall clean-up is the best
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By Almanac Staff
Fall clean-up is the best thing you can do. Wish for a cold winter as freezing temperatures are helpful in destroying the bug populations. Next season be on the lookout for any early bugs and remove them. Spread diatomaceous earth around the base of new plants next spring when the nymphs hatch.
This is definitely my summer
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By alymcpea
This is definitely my summer squash culprit!! I still have a few flowers on my squash plants but they look very sickly. Would it be worth trying to save them or should I just go ahead and pull them out?
The worth of trying to save
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By Almanac Staff
The worth of trying to save your squash plants is something only you can decide.
But consider: What's in harm in letting the plants keep on keeping on? Sometimes plants have enough strength to produce a few fruits, even when over run with these pests.
You could try a few of the solutions posted here (if you have not already), and see if you are able to salvage any of this plant's harvest.
Here's an easy method to rid
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By CVFarmerjohn
Here's an easy method to rid the squash of those nasty buggers once they have hatched: add a little water in your wet/dry vac, add a tiny bit of soap, and suck the pests off the vine and surrounding area. The soap will drown them fast and doing this daily or so will easily keep them in check! Thanks to my gardening friend, Master Gardener Cindy Rentchsler from Chino Valley, AZ for this awesome tip!
Farmer John is right on!
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By JBush
Farmer John is right on! Vacuuming squash bugs is a safe and excellent way to get rid them. When I find them I vacuum them off with my Dust Buster and dump them into a plastic pail with soapy water and they die very quickly. Works fast with no pesticides.
Rather than using pesticides,
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By Augusta
Rather than using pesticides, mix a good dose of dish soap with water in a spray bottle (I use no particular ratio - just enough to make good suds), and spray directly onto the bugs. It only takes a few minutes and they'll be dead in their tracks.
would that work for broad
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By Bonnie Carter
would that work for broad coverage over the whole garden , through a hose sprayer ? and will they move throughout all my
plants or are they particular to squash , cucumbers ? I have corn and bell peppers , watermelon and strawberries . My brussel sprouts and canteloupe seem only partially nibbled . . . ?
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