YIKES! I'm hosting uninvited guests in my squash...

tappingmom 6/30/2024, 1:52 pm

This is my second year gardening. I guess I was lucky my first year, as I never had any pests.

I hand water in raised beds, giving me the opportunity to always check for intruders or potential problems. This morning, I was greeted with this (see photos) in my delicata squash. They literally appeared in 48 hours. I see three different stages and can't find any egg clusters.

I saturated them with neem oil and it looks like they quickly died...but I'll know more by this evening when I check for their little unmoving corpses.

Can someone please tell me what they are...and if neem oil is appropriate? I would prefer to stay organic and not use pesticides.

Thank you, wise gardening gurus!

YIKES! I'm hosting uninvited guests in my squash... Img_3610

YIKES! I'm hosting uninvited guests in my squash... Img_3611

YIKES! I'm hosting uninvited guests in my squash... Img_3612

**sanderson** 7/2/2024, 1:13 pm

Aphids. Spinosad is effective against soft-bodied pests and is OMRI listed. Some folks report that Neem burns the leaves, especially in the summer.

Aphids are unique in that they are all females in the summer and give live birth to hungry mini-daughters, bypassing the egg/larva/pupa stage.

No matter what you spray, do it at sundown when the pollinators are back home and the pesticide can dry by morning.

YIKES! I'm hosting uninvited guests in my squash... Aphid_10

tappingmom 7/3/2024, 9:43 am

Thank you, Sanderson!

I have their numbers reduced by 95% by aggressively spraying twice a day. My sturdy squash seems to be fine with this routine. But, I know it will take only a single female to keep the cycle going. Ugh!

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YIKES! I'm hosting uninvited guests in my squash...

YIKES! I'm hosting uninvited guests in my squash...

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