Controlling Squash Bugs
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| Squash bugs are easy to spot because they're about a half-inch long. |
Found throughout the United States. Adult beetles are flat-backed, brown, about 1/2 inch long; the immature nymphs look like small adults but are whitish with black legs. This insect attacks all kinds of cucurbits (cucumbers, squash, etc.), but is usually most severe on squashes and pumpkins. Adults and nymphs feed by sucking out the juices from leaves, causing leaves to wilt, dry up, and turn black. Adults overwinter under plant debris or in the soil. They emerge usually about the time vines begin to "run" to lay clusters of reddish-brown eggs on leaf undersides. There is one generation per year.
Controls
- Lay shingles or boards in the garden at night; bugs will hide under them during the day. Collect and destroy hiding bugs first thing in the morning.
- Protect a row of plants with a new type of row cover: Insect Netting with Hoops. The finely-woven, polyethylene row cover has built-in supports, so it's easy to install.
- Spray with neem oil.
Still have questions?: Ask our in-house gardening experts.
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