squash bugs taking over!!!

I've been googling all night to find the right solution for my problem, and I'm having a hard time weeding through it all. So, I'm sorry that this has been discussed a lot, but I need someone to break it down for me.

I finally figured out what's been killing my pumpkins - yellowing leaves, no fruit maturing, vines turning black... I saw the squash bugs the other day, killed 4 adults, noticed some eggs and didn't do anything yet. Came back from a 3-day trip, and the bugs are now in my zucchini and cucumbers as well. I saw some eggs here and there, with a very rudimentary glance-over.

I do NOT want to kill the two or three bees I actually have around here. But I DO want to kill these stupid squash bugs and their future families. I think it's gotten past the point of just picking them off the plants. Plus, I have a bit of a hard time picking up bugs still...

Please help me get rid of this problem before it becomes too big and overwhelms me. I've not had great production from any of these plants yet, and I'm afraid an infestation would just make me give up on them altogether. (3 zucchinis harvested - yummy, no pumpkin females are actually surviving long enough to open up to be pollinated, and I have yet to see a single cucumber female flower open.)

Thanks folks. As always, I appreciate your help so much!
Tracy

Bump.

It has been raining here for 4 days...now my plants have been chewed severely...think I'm going to try this-->

http://blog.ecosmart.com/index.php/2009/06/16/how-to-destroy-squash-bugs/comment-page-2/#comment-31859

or...

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-01_paper_wasp.htm

and/or

http://www.arbico-organics.com/product/squash-bug/s

Don't give up...Read up and try everything suggested until you find what works the best.

Good Luck

Alas, the battle was over before I ever even knew it was being waged. I came home from a vacation yesterday and noticed my zucchini plant was not looking too good - the fruit kept withering before the flower even came close to opening.

Today I took a closer look and one whole portion of the stem just came off right in my hands - rotted through. I opened up the stem and it had several SVBs in it. I wanted to save the other portion, but the stem was so weak right near the ground it just wasn't working. I had to pull the whole thing up, and I suppose now it's too late to grow another one.

moswell wrote:Alas, the battle was over before I ever even knew it was being waged. I came home from a vacation yesterday and noticed my zucchini plant was not looking too good - the fruit kept withering before the flower even came close to opening.

Today I took a closer look and one whole portion of the stem just came off right in my hands - rotted through. I opened up the stem and it had several SVBs in it. I wanted to save the other portion, but the stem was so weak right near the ground it just wasn't working. I had to pull the whole thing up, and I suppose now it's too late to grow another one.

Probably, but hey a couple of squash seeds don't cost much and you may luck out and have a late frost.

walshevak wrote:

moswell wrote:Alas, the battle was over before I ever even knew it was being waged. I came home from a vacation yesterday and noticed my zucchini plant was not looking too good - the fruit kept withering before the flower even came close to opening.

Today I took a closer look and one whole portion of the stem just came off right in my hands - rotted through. I opened up the stem and it had several SVBs in it. I wanted to save the other portion, but the stem was so weak right near the ground it just wasn't working. I had to pull the whole thing up, and I suppose now it's too late to grow another one.

Probably, but hey a couple of squash seeds don't cost much and you may luck out and have a late frost.

True. Maybe I'll try - I think I have a couple more seeds sitting around.

Definitely go for it!

Can you have squash bugs and not know it?

My squash/zucchini just up and stopped producing. It's not a pollination issue because there are tons of pollinators out there I see. They flower, they even start growing fruit, then they start rotting before they get anywhere.

NHGardener wrote:Can you have squash bugs and not know it?

My squash/zucchini just up and stopped producing. It's not a pollination issue because there are tons of pollinators out there I see. They flower, they even start growing fruit, then they start rotting before they get anywhere.

Mine did that too, when we had that hot spell last week. But now I am starting to see more female buds coming along. You would know it if you had squash bugs.

Oh good. Well that's one encouraging thing.

There are two different squash bugs being discussed here. One is a borer and destroys the plant from within the vine, the other lays eggs under the leaves and they eat and suck juices from leaves and fruit.
The first post sounds like you have the regular squash bug. You can see them and when they see you they go to the other side of the vine like a squirrel does on a tree. I've had better luck controlling them this year because I'm SFGing. I use DE in the early evening when the blossoms have closed and will not harm the bees. I also look out for any spiders or beneficials to make sure they don't get dusted either. EVery few days I check all over to make sure to squish the eggs. I have also noticed that they have been laying eggs on my tomatoes. The squash vine borer is a totally different creature. they lay an egg at the base of the vine and it hatches and bores in to the vine and you can't see it.

i'm thinking of trying this over the weekend:

Organic gardeners might want to try a homemade "bug juice" which consists of making slurry of water and the pests themselves in a blender and applying to the plants. (Guys, I suggest you might want to get your own blender. Your spouse may not like smoothies tainted with bug juice.)

Experts are not sure why pests are their own worst enemies when applied to plants, but researchers think it is the presence of an anti-cannibalism mechanism or a chemical that inhibits insect feeding. Gather enough of the particular bug, at least a spoonful, mash them or blend them, and place the mashed bugs in cheesecloth, soak in two cups of water overnight. Spray your plants with the strained juice but for best results use the bug juice within three days.

search squash bugs for an organic solution to wiping out squash bug and aphids on your garden. I have offered my solution to the problem under that heading and I am pleased with the results, it works. Good Luck

Barthie's bug juice is a good idea. The research I have found said to use as many of whatever bug you are going after you can find. The reason being that some are ill spraying the strained slurry spreads the desease and kills the little 's.

I have not tried it my self but it sounds like a good idea. Kind of like home made BT.

This year I just left the aphids alone. I know, I know, they can carry plant deseases but I am always trying new things. As it turned out it worked well this time they only showed up on two plants, okra, and squash. Just when I thought I had made a mistake the calvary showed up in the form of lady beetles. Soon the aphids were gone. This is risky to be sure but it worked this time.

I, too, had aphids get particularly bad recently. In my case, it wasn't really a choice to let them go, it was just that we had so much rain for about a week that I wasn't able to get out there and deal with the aphids as usual.

Lo and behold, there came a cavalry of ladybugs! I hadn't seen a one all summer till then. I even got to see my first ladybug larvae, which I had thought from the photos I'd seen would be kind of scary, but it was so tiny that it was actually cute. They pretty much saved my southern peas.

I also had some mealy bugs show up on my honey dew melon vines. And I saw a black ladybug, which I read up on and found out that mealy bugs are among their favorite treats. I still ended up losing the melons, but appreciated the ladybugs' efforts.

I'd always read that if you stopped spraying to control bugs, the predator good bugs would show up to take care of the bad bugs. It looks like that might actually work! I've only used Neem, a bit of insecticidal soap and very rarely BT this summer, but when I was unable to use even those, the good bugs seemed to show up in force! How cool is that!!!

It Is Too Cool! Did the black ones have a red head? You have to love any bug called the mealybug destroyer

Hi Shannon, The black ladybug had a black head and just two red spots - one on each "wing." I didn't know what it was until I came and looked it up online - glad I took the time to do that rather than over react and squish him immediately!

I have made just that mistake. Killed what I thought was a worm only to discover later it was a hover fly larva.

Shannon, I'll bet most of us have done that at one time or other. I just recently had squished some strange looking things on an eggplant leaf that I figured was some kind of egg. That very afternoon someone posted a photo on the forum of exactly what I had squished and said it was lacewing eggs! Arrrggh. I guess that's really what made me come look the black ladybug up online before deciding whether or not to squish it.

I guess the most important thing is to learn from our mistakes.

jazzymaddy wrote:I've been googling all night to find the right solution for my problem, and I'm having a hard time weeding through it all. So, I'm sorry that this has been discussed a lot, but I need someone to break it down for me.

I finally figured out what's been killing my pumpkins - yellowing leaves, no fruit maturing, vines turning black... I saw the squash bugs the other day, killed 4 adults, noticed some eggs and didn't do anything yet. Came back from a 3-day trip, and the bugs are now in my zucchini and cucumbers as well. I saw some eggs here and there, with a very rudimentary glance-over.

I do NOT want to kill the two or three bees I actually have around here. But I DO want to kill these stupid squash bugs and their future families. I think it's gotten past the point of just picking them off the plants. Plus, I have a bit of a hard time picking up bugs still...

Please help me get rid of this problem before it becomes too big and overwhelms me. I've not had great production from any of these plants yet, and I'm afraid an infestation would just make me give up on them altogether. (3 zucchinis harvested - yummy, no pumpkin females are actually surviving long enough to open up to be pollinated, and I have yet to see a single cucumber female flower open.)

Thanks folks. As always, I appreciate your help so much!
Tracy

Research Beneficial
Nematodes. BF’s are microscopic insects
will seek out and destroy many kinds of soil dwelling and wood boring insects. They
are completely compatible with beneficial insects such as ladybugs, lacewings,
and praying mantis and do not harm earthworms.
They will not affect humans, animals, or plants


I had this problem with my summer squash, but pumpkins are susceptible
also. Newbie so I cannot post links to this info...


First of all you cannot plant more pumpkin squash or any of
their relatives in the place you planted the infected pumpkin. These bugs have
larva that nap over the winter and burst out in attack mode in the spring and
early summer. They are usually gone by
July but by then they have already gotten to your pumpkin.