Squash Bugs

tumbleweed · Mon Aug 15, 2011 7:25 am

All of my pumpkin and squash plants are completely overrun by squash bugs, millions of them and their eggs. Sevin is working but there are just to many to control. Does anyone have a solution for my next years crops?

Bobberman · Fri Aug 19, 2011 11:35 pm

Look for the red patch of eggs on a leaf and get them off the plant or spray the eggs! Get rid of dead or old plants quick!

garden5 · Sun Aug 21, 2011 4:50 pm

Start picking!

Also, you could consider putting up some birdhouses in/near your garden or letting poultry into it...they would love a good feast.

I had these bugs all over my one pumpkin plant this year and it's just about dead, so you definitely want to catch these guys early on!

rainbowgardener · Mon Aug 22, 2011 3:03 pm

tumbleweed wrote:All of my pumpkin and squash plants are completely overrun by squash bugs, millions of them and their eggs. Sevin is working but there are just to many to control. Does anyone have a solution for my next years crops?

It hardly makes sense to me to say Sevin is working and yet your plants are still over run by the squash bugs. If it were working they would be gone.

In this thread

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=207623#207623

is a link to some info re the Sevin and a bunch of suggestions about bug control. The question in that thread was about cucumber beetles, but almost all of them would apply to squash bugs as well.

Fig3825 · Mon Aug 22, 2011 4:05 pm

I have cucumber beetles pouring out of my proverbial cucumber's a$$. I've been squishing them as best I can. They are all over my squash as well. Life has precluded me from applying treatment for this, but I bought some bonide and some safer spray, both have the alleged organic and, allegedly effective ingredient called 'pyrethin'. I don't care if it's truly organic or not, but the Safer has .012% and the bonide has .02%. One says not to spray on cucumbers and weak leaved plants, so I intend to use the .01 on the weaker leaved plants and the .02 on the more hearty plants. We'll see what happens and I'll let you all know...

I also have a flea beetle infestation on my tomatoes. They jump when you spray, so they are a bit extra difficult to deal with...

I was hoping to find the one you hook up to the hose because hand squeezing a trigger over the 60 or so individual plants, top and bottom of all leaves, just sounds like a project I'm too lazy to do. I may just pour them into my spray can and see how that works...it's easier to coat the underside of the leaves when you have compressed air pushing your insecticide around....

tumbleweed · Mon Aug 22, 2011 4:22 pm

rainbowgardener wrote:
tumbleweed wrote:All of my pumpkin and squash plants are completely overrun by squash bugs, millions of them and their eggs. Sevin is working but there are just to many to control. Does anyone have a solution for my next years crops?
It hardly makes sense to me to say Sevin is working and yet your plants are still over run by the squash bugs. If it were working they would be gone.

In this thread

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=207623#207623

is a link to some info re the Sevin and a bunch of suggestions about bug control. The question in that thread was about cucumber beetles, but almost all of them would apply to squash bugs as well.

I didn't say my plants are still over run by squash bugs. I simply said there are just to many to control. The sevin is working but there are just to many of them.

Fig3825 · Mon Aug 22, 2011 4:40 pm

There are many days when I inspect my garden and kinda wish I had a blowtorch - the vietnam kind. There wouldn't be a bug left in my entire yard. Unfortunately, my better sense takes over...

Wareagle · Tue Aug 30, 2011 11:00 pm

A praying mantis will feast itself on squash bugs. If you encourage a few to stick around, you won't see many. You can also spray your plants with a hose and they will creep away where you can squash....the squash bug. I spray insecticidal soap once a week (not home-made...buy the real deal) to kill the eggs as well as other unwanted guests.

Praying Mantis' will work great though. Give that a shot.

DoubleDogFarm · Tue Aug 30, 2011 11:52 pm

I just read something interesting. All purpose flour was recommended for grasshopper control. They say it has to be the old fashion type with out the salt in it. So don't use self-rising flour. Any chewing bug mouths get gummed up. Then you need to wash it off within two days.

Make a shaker out of a mason jar with holes poked in the lid. A nail and hammer will do this nicely.

There are also clay sprays used on fruit trees, may work here also.

Eric

garden5 · Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:21 am

Fig3825 wrote:There are many days when I inspect my garden and kinda wish I had a blowtorch - the vietnam kind. There wouldn't be a bug left in my entire yard. Unfortunately, my better sense takes over...

There wouldn't be a garden left in your entire yard either

....but there would be the biggest veggi cook-out in the neighborhood!

rainbowgardener · Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:34 am

The flour tip sounds interesting, but I don't know about washing it off. Add water to flour and you get doughy paste.... Could be kind of messy, unless you mean just dusting it lightly with flour. Would a light dusting be effective?

DoubleDogFarm · Wed Aug 31, 2011 12:16 pm

Here are the instructions from the source.

First you must gather the following items: 3 cups of plain all-purpose flour, a garden duster or salt shaker or any container with a shaker cover, and a garden hose.

1. The best time to use this method in order to get rid of grasshoppers the eco-friendly is early in the morning when there is no wind and there is still dew on the plants.

it's important that there be no wind so that the flour will end up on your plants and not scattered all over your neighborhood.

The dew will help the flour stay on your plant and not be blown away. You could also use this method after a rain as long as there is no wind.

2. Pour the flour into a container with a shaker top or the perforated paper bag. If you have only a small garden, use less flour.

3. Before dusting the flour on the plants in your garden, give the foliage a shake in order to get the grasshoppers to move off them.

4. Dust the leaves AND the insects with the flour.

5. After 2 days, rinse off the flour from your plants. Use a fine spray in order not to damage your leave. If the leaves are hairy (such as tomato leaves), you may need to rinse twice.

If you need to repeat this method to get rid of grasshoppers the eco-friendly, wait about a week before you dust your leaves again. As long as you don't leave the flour on the leaves for more than 2 days, the flour will not damage your plants.

Doesn't say how heavy a dusting.
Eric