ORGANIC WAYS TO DEAL WITH SQUASH BUGS
Squash bugs are found all over the United States, and usually feed on cucurbits, including squash (their favorite is yellow straight neck or crookneck), pumpkins and melons. The adult squash bug is about 5/8 inch long and 1/3 inch wide. It is normally black or grey, with orange and brown stripes along its underside. They lay their eggs on the underside of leaves in a kind of V shape along the veins. They can do some major damage to your crop by sucking the nutrients from the plants, causing the plant to form yellow specks on the leaves. If you have a large infestation of squash bugs feeding on your plants, small plants can turn black and die. They may actually feed on your fruit itself if they get tired on sucking on the foliage. They are a problem pest that is hard to control in an organic garden. However, there are some ways to keep the population of these bugs down without using chemicals.
The first way to control squash bug infestations is to just pick them off the plants, and destroy them and their eggs.
Squash bugs lay eggs until midsummer, and will become adults in 4-6 weeks. Place boards next to your plants, and at night the squash bugs will hide underneath them. In the morning, destroy them underneath the boards.
There are some resistant varieties of squash such as Royal Acorn and Butternut. As with pretty much everything else in life, a good defense is your best offense. Proper watering and fertilization is critical to keep the plants healthy, and thus limiting the squash bugs damage. Zamzows has a fantastic organic based fertilizer to keep your plants healthy all growing season long. It is called All Purpose Garden Fertilizer (5-5-3) it has quick and slow release nitrogen for 3 months of feeding.
Some people have had success with planting plants around the cucurbits to repel the squash bug. Some examples of plants that squash bugs don’t like are mint, marigolds, catnip, and radishes.
Squash bugs do have some natural enemies that will feed upon them, and diseases that will kill them. Spiders and ground beetles are an example of their natural enemy as is the Tachinid fly and the parasitic wasp. Both of these insects will lay eggs in them. The problem is that even though they have the parasitic eggs in them, they will still continue to feed on your crops. It will probably help for next year’s squash bug population, but not affect it greatly this year.
Companion planting and variety selection can help with reducing the numbers of squash bugs, but not eliminate them entirely. Squash bugs are not as fond of zucchini or patty pan summer squash as they are types of melons, pumpkins and the squashes I mentioned above. Since we have a relatively short growing season, it is hard to plant after the threat of the infestation of squash bugs has passed. A floating row cover seems to help to control squash bugs getting on your crops in the first place.
Diatomaceous Earth is a great product to apply around your plants to protect them. This non-toxic, all natural product controls all pests in the garden and flower beds. DE acts an abrasive in the exoskeleton of the insect. It is very effective in killing insects of all varieties, bad and good, and care must be taken when applying. To apply, put bands of it around your plants. Be careful around the flowering part of the plant to protect the bees that will land there for pollination. Zamzows sells DE in bulk, and is a great, inexpensive organic pest killer.
In conclusion, keeping the ravaging squash bug out of your garden is not an easy task especially when trying to do it organically. Try to keep them under control by getting rid of them as soon as you see them, and destroying their eggs. Adults overwinter in plant debris left over in the fall. Make sure you clean all debris up from around your garden area, and dispose of. Lastly, please come in and see us at Zamzows for any of your gardening needs or questions. We are here to help you.