Identifying this pest

[Farmallz28]

Can someone help me identify this pest it attacked all of my vine plants and wiped them out I pulled all plant and burned them thanks in advance

[applestar]

If this was indeed the culprit, then this is most likely a Squash Bug nymph, though -- to me -- it sort of looks like a Wheel Bug (Assasin Bug) nymph as well.

Did they occur in swarms? Then definitely Squash Bugs. Predatory wheel bug would have been in smaller numbers or even alone.

[Farmallz28]

They were in swarms never had these before where did they come from thanks

[Meatburner]

Sorry, but Hudson Valley is where?

[applestar]

I normally don't get a huge infestation of squash bugs, but I've noticed more of them as well as related leaf fotted bugs and green stinkbugs during the summer after remnant of hurricane and tropical systems sweep up weather patterns from the mid-west, when we end up with heatwave and muggy hot nights. I think maybe they get swept along by the storm.

I also get more of them after a mild winter when presumably they manage to survive and not get killed off by the more usual severe sub freezing temperatures.

[Farmallz28]

In New York

[rainbowgardener]

Yup, squash bug juveniles. They come in swarms because the eggs are laid in big clusters, so then a whole bunch hatch at once. But was this last year? Even with weird weather, I can't imagine having bugs in January in upstate NY.

Squash bugs are sucking pests, suck the juices out of plants. Leaves lose nutrients and water and become speckled, later turning yellow to brown. Under heavy feeding, plants begin to wilt, and the point of attack becomes black and brittle. Small plants can be killed completely, while larger cucurbits begin to lose runners. The wilting resembles bacterial wilt, but isn't really a disease, just the result of the life being sucked out of the plant.

To start with, in spring, check the undersides of leaves daily for the eggs:



destroy any you find. I just tear off that part of the leaf and grind it under foot. They are well protected, just stomping doesn't get it and they are well adhered to the leaf, difficult to remove.

Place boards or shingles on the ground near your squash vines. The bugs shelter under them over night and you can collect them in the morning. In a cool morning, the bugs can't move very fast yet. Dust your plants and around them with diatomaceous earth. It is not a poison, but kills them by abrasion. Works pretty well on a wide variety of crawling pests, but has to be reapplied after rain. Mulching well, early in the season helps keep the adults that over-wintered in the soil from emerging.

[imafan26]

The warmer than usual weather may be altering their normal life cycles. I know the bees are robbing more honey because it has been warmer so they are more active but there isn't much food out there so they eat more of their stores and try to rob other hives of their honey stores.

[Farmallz28]

Thanks for your replies that picture was taken last summer 2015. Thanks to this form I was able to identify the culprit now I have to figure out a way of getting rid of it naturally. I haven't used any pesticides in my garden I'm trying to keep it organic as best I can still don't know where these came from I've never had them before they were swarms of them I see where the eggs were underneath the leaves. I also noticed that they were white moths all over my garden I think they were the ones that laid the egg!!!!! I have a lot to do in my garden to try to combat these pests. Thanks for all your help and suggestions I'll keep you posted on this battle in my garden stay warm!

[applestar]

Good luck with your garden this year. You'll find you will learn something new each year and putting that into practice the following year will make you a better gardener. I love to experiment and apply or try new ideas, too.

Now, I'm thinking the white "moths" you mentioned are likely to be Cabbage White butterflies. They would not have been responsible for squash bugs and squash/pumpkin/cucumber/melon damage but their caterpillars are notorious for ruining your cabbage family and mustard family crops -- cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, radish, turnip, arugula.....

[rainbowgardener]

The adult of the squash bug (a "true bug") looks like this:



That's the adult laying the eggs. The eggs hatch out into nymphs/ juveniles, which can be different colors at different stages:



The nymphs go through various instars (molt stages) gradually getting shaped more and more like adults:



Only the adults have wings, but even they are not seen flying much. If you water the ground and base of the plant thoroughly, the bugs will crawl up to the top to get away from it and you will see them.

This is the cabbage white butterfly:



The male is pure white, while the female is more cream colored, but both have the black spots. The larval form is the cabbage worm.



Diatomaceous earth (DE) helps control the squash bugs and the cabbage worms and pretty much any other crawling things. It is better against the worms and other soft bodied critters. The squash bug juveniles are softer and more susceptible. By the time they turn into adults, they are less vulnerable to it. As noted it is not poisonous. Food grade DE (which is what you want) is used on stored grains to help keep insects out of it, so you have eaten it, whether you know it or not.

[Farmallz28]

Well looking at the pictures I do have the cabbage white butterfly and the squash bug they attacked my wine plans and broccoli and others. Well the line has been drawn it's going to be a long spring here we go

[redneck647]

I never had a problem with squash bugs so i cant help you there but for cabbage worms/moths i've used Thuricide. The stuffs safe for humans and animals and to my understanding organic.
The first year i had cabbage worms I thought for sure they had taken out the cabbage plants from all the damage they did but surprisingly this stuff took care of them quickly and the plants all recovered from it.

[rainbowgardener]

Thuricide (along with Dipel and others) is one of the commercial names for Bt, Bacillus thuringiensis. It is a bacterial disease that affects ONLY certain types of insect larvae and is harmless to everything else. It is a soil dwelling bacterium that occurs widely in nature. There are different types of Bt that are specific to different targets, e.g. the ‘kurstaki’ type targets caterpillars, such as tomato hornworms and cabbage worms. The ‘isrealensis’ type targets immature flies and mosquitoes. Little to no direct toxicity to non-target insects has been observed.

Like any other pesticide, Bt should be used sparingly and only as needed to control a local outbreak. Bt is being used in GMO. A gene that mandates production of Bt is inserted into plants like corn. Then every cell of every corn plant in acres of cropland produces Bt. Under that bombardment, there are now starting to be Bt resistant insects, including some moths, corn rootworms, etc.

You can help delay the development of/ slow the spread of Bt resistance by being careful with it and not over using it. NEVER deploy pesticides preventatively. Treat an identified problem appropriately when it is there.