Squash Bug

The squash bug is actually a "true bug" rather than an insect. The eggs are distinctive and can easily be found and crushed in small plantings. You can see in the picture below that the eggs are brownish-red and are found in clusters on a lower leaf surface. The new nymphs are small and greenish with black legs.

If you are going to use insecticides, correct timing is the key. Be vigilant in observing your plants for the presence of squash bugs. Treat when most eggs have hatched and when nymphs are still small to medium size. This occurs early in the season. If you can do this, your damage will be greatly reduced. The problem is that adult bugs have hard, protective shells which protects them from insecticide treatments. So get the little critters early!

Use high pressure when applying liquid insecticides so that you penetrate the dense foliage. Be sure you are getting good coverage of the plant, paying particular attention to the undersides of leaves where the nymphs live.

Dusters may also be used. Several treatments are needed because the squash bugs lay eggs several times in a season. Products such as Sevin dust, and multi-purpose garden dust from Ortho and Green Thumb are useful in treating this problem.

Avoid mulch because when it gets hot, the bugs seek shelter around the base of the plant, and mulch provides a great cover for them. Instead of mulch, try putting pieces of board or shingles on the ground near the plant so that the bugs will be concentrated in one area and more easily treated.

The best defense for next year, if you had an infestation this summer, is to remove the infested plant and work the soil immediately after harvest. The nymphs overwinter in the ground. Cleaning up the old plants and clearing the ground of debris which may be infected is the key to getting rid of these pest. This will keep the nymphs from having a source of food which is necessary for their development.

This irritating bug can be a big problem in areas where the winters aren't too severe.

The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs: Garden Insects of North America by Whitmey Cranshaw. Princeton University Press

Kansas State Research and Extension Service Website at www.oznet.ksu.edu