Squash bugs - HELP! - Ask Extension
Squash bugs have attacked my zucchini plants. I'm reconciled to losing those plants, but I want to try to save my other cucurbits (cukes & melons)...
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Squash bugs - HELP! #879473
Asked July 30, 2024, 5:57 PM EDT
Squash bugs have attacked my zucchini plants. I'm reconciled to losing those plants, but I want to try to save my other cucurbits (cukes & melons).
Several Qs:
1. Where do they come from? I've never had a problem before. What am I doing wrong?
2. I am using neem oil and manually killing them (duct tape), but it feels like a losing battle. Is there anything else can I do?
3. Is it better to rip out the affected plants or leave them in place in hopes that the bugs will focus on them and leave the other plants alone?
4. How do I prevent this from happening in the future?
Thanks for your help.
Multnomah County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi Rita and thanks for your unfortunately common questions about squash bugs. They arrived a couple of years ago (from hell?) and I lost my entire crop to them. I hand picked bugs AND eggs every day for months and got... 1 butternut squash out of a 100X8 foot bed.
You are not doing anything wrong, however I am finding my well watered zucchini and cucumber plants have not had many problems this year, (the devastated bed last year was a dryland garden). Also, go ahead and rip out the ruined plants as the bugs will just lay more eggs on them until they are dead. Do you see the beautiful red eggs under the leaves? You need to scrape them off as well.
The following article tells a little more about them and gives some chemicals for home use, none of which I tried as there was no recommendation last year. Just look for a pesticide at the store that has one of the active ingredients listed for home use in it. I see neem is listed, but in order for the bugs not to develop a resistance to it, it is good to alternate with another chemical.
https://pnwhandbooks.org/insect/vegetable/vegetable-pests/hosts-pests/melon-cantaloupe-muskmelon-watermelon-squash-bug
I'm really sorry you lost your zucchinis and until we find a predator to keep them in control (even my chickens wouldn't eat them!) pick up all debris around the area, keep up the monitoring system and remove
You are not doing anything wrong, however I am finding my well watered zucchini and cucumber plants have not had many problems this year, (the devastated bed last year was a dryland garden). Also, go ahead and rip out the ruined plants as the bugs will just lay more eggs on them until they are dead. Do you see the beautiful red eggs under the leaves? You need to scrape them off as well.
The following article tells a little more about them and gives some chemicals for home use, none of which I tried as there was no recommendation last year. Just look for a pesticide at the store that has one of the active ingredients listed for home use in it. I see neem is listed, but in order for the bugs not to develop a resistance to it, it is good to alternate with another chemical.
https://pnwhandbooks.org/insect/vegetable/vegetable-pests/hosts-pests/melon-cantaloupe-muskmelon-watermelon-squash-bug
I'm really sorry you lost your zucchinis and until we find a predator to keep them in control (even my chickens wouldn't eat them!) pick up all debris around the area, keep up the monitoring system and remove
(somehow I must have posted this before I was done writing!)
... remove all the bugs you can find. I dropped the into a cup of soapy water which killed them pretty quickly. One day I collected 48 adult bugs! Yuck!
... remove all the bugs you can find. I dropped the into a cup of soapy water which killed them pretty quickly. One day I collected 48 adult bugs! Yuck!
