Squash bugs

[tabitha]

has anyone developed a methodology for successfully killing squash bugs? we have read so much conflicting information that it boggles the mind. mulch? don't mulch? kill them all by picking them from a little trap set each night? set a trap each fall of just a few plants for them to congregate in then shake the plants into a white sheet and do the squash bug dance.

we are committed to organic solutions but will listen to any monsanto story if that's all you can offer.

my favorite and what we have planned is to pick them ALL off and leave their carcases lying as a warning to any errant future interlopers.

karl-

[tashak]

Pick them all, stomp them, and then drown them just to be sure.
I've read that you can cut off and burn the stem that has one, but that's pretty radical surgery sometimes.
Also open to advice from others about this. Some years seem worse than others.

[Pharmerphil]

Hand Picking them is always best,as for any threat in the garden, even in my monstrosity, we attempt to first eliminate them by hand, on 6250 sq. ft.....this is tough and as the season and the insects life cycle speeds up, 'impossible'
Squash bugs, are TOUGH, the best you can do is "Early Detection", Prowl your Garden...you will see clumps of tiny reddish brown eggs on the undersides of your squash, pumpkin plants leaves, get rid of them, You will also she the lil bitty baby ones, they are much lighter in color, sorta gray. After they are adults, they are almost impossible to get rid of, early on, and even some of the adults will be killed using "Sabadilla" dust.
comes from seeds of a South American lily. Used for squash bugs and stink bugs.

[deb65802]

Squash bugs can be a night mare. They lay eggs in the soil and the only way to get rid of them is aggressively working with the soil. For my yellow squash I plant in conatiners then when harvest is over I scoop the dirt up and stick it in a heavy duty bag and put into the freezer for a week. this kills all the eggs. then I throw it in the compost pile. I start each new crop with sterile potting soil to with I add manure. This seems to help immensely in keeping the little buggers under control. Extreme yes; but, it is worth the effort. :D

Try growing different varieities. The bugs love squash that have a hollow stem. try growing a variety that has a solid stem like zuchetta rampicante. It is much like zuchinni. This is a huge vine with fruit that grows 2-3 feet long. huge production a well. Young squash should be eaten quickly. Older and longer fruits keep for a week or so. But the bugs seem not to like it as much. Butternut squash is another favorite that seems to go through the season unassaulted.

[Mydogsbestfriend]

Hi! I am new here, but the name "Squash Bug" always gets my attention, so I thought Id put in my 2 cents.

I have had the most horrible luck with these little guys ever since moving to my present home in Cedar Creek, MO about 15 years ago. I don't know what the problem is, because I never had them anywhere else (just lucky maybe?) but they are so bad here that I am losing most of my squash to them each season. I've tried the whole, hand pick and stomp thing. While that works, it is way too time consuming when there are literally thousands of the little boogers out there! I just can't get enough of them before they issue the "all points bulletin" and start dropping like rain into the mulch around my plants. Once there, they are impossible to find. And if I don't mulch, I risk losing my squash to the heat since I don't irrigate unless it is an emergency. (I don't like to waste water - prefer to let Mother Nature take care of things like that!)

So far about the only thing I've found that seems to work (on blister beetles as well - THAT is another pest story!) is to take old coffee grounds and soak them in water to make a weak tea (or rather coffee?! :rolleyes: ); add a drop of ordinary dish soap to that and put it in a spray bottle. You just spray it on them directly (can't just put it on the plant or it won't work) and after you've soaked them well, they totter around for awhile and drop dead. You have to get them really wet, so in some ways it isn't really any faster than picking and stomping, but it works better when they are in a big cluster because you can get them all at once before they scatter. You can also put the liquid in a bucket and shake them into it. If they don't drown first, the coffee seems to kill them. I'm not sure why this works - maybe they don't like caffeine (in which case, Please don't use de-caf!) or maybe they are averse to the bath with that drop of soap. However, I do think it is the coffee because soap alone doesn't seem to phase them all that much. It also helps best when you get them early - before they've had a chance to multiply!

Anyway, if, like me, you don't want to mix up a nasty commercial chemical brew (and hopefully you don't!) then this may be a good thing to try. Hope it helps!

[rocket]

I haven't been able to keep up with hand-picking the little buggers either. It works for a while, but eventually there's just too many of them. But I discovered late last summer that a spray made from peppers and garlic, with a little oil and soap, kills the nymphs really well. It doesn't kill the adults, but the few adults left around are easier to hand-pick. My plan for this season was to spray once a week. But if that coffee spray gets the adults too, then I may have to switch to that!

[OkieDok]

I used Sabadilla dust one season, got it from Johnnie's, but can't locate it now. Does anyone know where to get it? Thanks

[john in vt]

To kill most bugs including squash bugs

You need a 1 gallon glass jar with top.
Cut 2 medium size onions in ¼ peaces.
Cut 1 whole bunch of garlic crossways.
Ivory soap the clear dish soap, NOT detergent.

Put all except soap in jar, fill 3/4 full with warm water. Put top on tight and let set in sun all day.
Strain, fill a 1 Qt. Sprayer and add ¼ oz soap. Spray directly on bug. This will plug the pores and it can’t breath. It will also leave a smell and taste they don’t like.
John

[Bluegillman]

This work with earrings bugs? I got too many out there when it's damp out than days when it is too dry. They eat almost most of our garden...

[onmyknees]

that garlic and onion ideas sounds great. I bought a jar of african bird pepper to use in the garden but have put it away where I can't find it. CRS strikes again. but just got in from handpicking with masking tape on my fingers it gets three or four at a time
and I put out some yellow paper that had been liberally coated with glue stick will see how that works so now off to the kitchen to make that brew and get it in the sun so I can spray at sundown

[johno]

I have tried everything under the sun in the last thirty years of gardening to rid my garden of squash bugs except the soap/coffee solution (which I will try tonight.) None of the organic or chemical (I was desperate) or companion planting control solutions have worked for me until I stumbled onto one this year. I noticed that the only squash plants in my garden (I scatter them around) which were entirely free from squash bugs were within six feet of (I should charge for this info) a small patch of breadseed poppies which I bought from Baker Creek Seed. (The reason not to charge for this info is...) the unfortunate thing is the breadseed poppies die a couple of weeks after the squash bugs arrive. But maybe somebody can figure out a useful remedy from this knowledge.

Otherwise, the only useful advice I have is, if you like to eat pumpkin, white cushaw is very resistant to squash bugs, and seminole pumpkin is more resistant and tastes even better. In fact, seminole pumpkin is a really amazing vegetable all the way around and is as resistant to them as any gourd. The only possible downside to the outrageously delicious seminole pumpkin is that it takes a LOT of space. Once again, you will have no squash bug problems with seminole pumpkin.

[zebraman]

Hey Guys;We don't have Squash bugs or vine borers here at the Beach,but www.gardensalive.com has Grub-Away Nematodes (South)and(North).Plus Super-Light Insect Barrier for stopping adults from laying eggs in soil.-

[Mydogsbestfriend]

Okay, the squash bugs are starting to win again despite hand picking like crazy early and often. I have something I got this year from GardensAlive! which I have been reluctant to use because of the effect it will undoubtedly have on the beneficial insects in my garden as well as the nasties! It is called Pyrola and it is a pyrethrum concoction with a Canola oil base. Has anyone tried this? Did it work? Was the mortality rate for other, beneficial, insects really high?

And while I'm thinking of it, does anybody else have problems with blister beetles or is it just me? Right now they are snacking on pretty much everything in the garden and thumbing their noses :eek: at me! Worse than squash bugs any day (and harder to kill!)

[cReAtIoN gRoAnS]

I am trying self rising flour for Squash bugs (they killed most of my squash this year.) Arkansas conservation says it works. They eat it and then when they drink it bakes a big cake in their belly causing an inflated death.

Try planting lemon squash, it is resistant to the squash bugs. The pyola does not state anywhere that it will kill squash bugs. I have some from Gardens Alive but have not used it yet. My educated guess is that it will kill the juvies and the toddlers but not the adults. But you can only try. I would pick the adults and kill them, pick the eggs off, spray with your pyola, and then once that dries put down the self rising flour.

Those things are horrible! Course every destructive bug is.

Hope that helps.

Later!
Chad

[johno]

I'll definitely have to try that! I hope they explode! Thanks for the tip.

[johno]

So, Chad, how's the self rising flour working for you? It doesn't seem to be working here... However, it may be reducing their numbers - hard to say as they are too numerous to count. My lemon squash are faring well, though.

I have rejuvenated some of my squash plants from the annual June/July invasion of squash vine borers by the age old method of making a slit from their hole and squeezing them out like a zit...

Still at a bit of a loss for what to do about those disease-ridden cucumber beetles, but I noticed that I have a few brown (?) bats flying around the garden all night. They are supposed to eat them in large quantities. I think I'll be making some bat houses...

[cReAtIoN gRoAnS]

Honestly so far the self rising flour is only doing one thing.....looking really bad in my nice garden. I didn't know if it would work or not so I had to try it. I actually think it might be a good preventitive in the spring to maybe kill the first sets that emerge. But after the populations have risen I think that it is useless.

I am going to resort to the planting of non-resistant varieites in pots and the resistant varieties in the garden. But I can't freeze the soil so I will just solarize it while it is still in the pots. Being in pots I think that it will be easier to kill the little suckers before they get out of hand.

So this is going to be my approach....with much dilligence maybe I can convince them to move on.

But I will try the self rising flour again in the spring on the newbies that come out and see if that is any better.

Oh...I gots more garlic for ya so I will stay in touch as to when I will be out there. Or I will just send it to you.

Later!

Chad

[johno]

I agree with your thoughts on trying the flour earlier and planting nonresistant varieties in pots. You know, I have had better luck with mixing my own pre-sterilized soil from storebought bags than I have had with using garden soil in containers. I realize this can be expensive, but coming from a cheapskate like me, you might consider a little experiment with it... I get the giant bags of perlite and vermiculite, and (hold on to your wallet) prepackaged worm castings. Also, Jiffy Mix is great for moisture retention.

Looking back a few weeks, zebraman recommended beneficial nematodes from Gardensalive. As cheap as I am, I'm starting to think that would be a good investment, too.

[Islewolf]

Has anyone had any luck using a garden duster to get the dusting powders up under leaves to prevent or control squash bug numbers? I just got one this year and I hope to try it out next year, got it too late this year to save my spaghetti squash.

[cReAtIoN gRoAnS]

Islewolf,
I am assuming that you are talking about DE powder??? If so then,

Personally for hard bodied insects I consider DE dusting a waste of time. Plus by the time it heats up and quits raining (which is helpful for dusting because the rain washes it all off...) all the softbodied insects are on their way out...(at least for me...) which leaves me with the hard bodied insects that, in my experience, are not bothered with DE powders. So DE in the spring when the soft bodied are on a run is good but frequent rains mean more application....dryer months means less application but there is less of a need for it as well. (At least this has been my case.)

DE does work for some things but not squash bugs. They are the Rhino's of the garden. Stupid exoskeletons! :mad:

Honestly so far the best I have found to kill all stages of squash bugs is Pyrethrums. I mix em strong too. Water to get em moving and the hit em with the good ole mum mixture.

I am not a big fan of DE. But that is just me. I am POSITIVE that some here are preparing their fingers to cyber flog me with their defense of DE. But I can take quite a bit of pain.

Later,
Chad

[johno]

I was walking under an osage orange tree this morning and suddenly it hit me - I wonder if these hedge apples repel squash apples? People use them in their homes to keep insects away... So I rounded up a few and put them at the base of my squash plants. I'll report back if they work.

[Lavandula Girl]

I'd definitely like to know if that works - I can get the osage oranges, and the squash bugs are feasting on my summer squashes!

[johno]

Okay, it's been a few days, time for an update. Osage oranges do not keep the squash bugs away (big surprise,) but I'm not seeing as many. Maybe this is partially wishful thinking or coincidence, or maybe it does repel them somewhat... I've seen enough of a change to warrant further experimentation.

[dirtundernails]

Anyone else notice a "banana" kind of smell when they squash squash bugs? Honeybees emit a banana like smell when attack is the order of the day. I'm not hangin' around after squashin' and squishin'..... nope, inside for lemonade time.

dun

[windsng225]

dun, you are so funny! LOL
joyce

[GrowTheSeeds]

http://www.p2pays.org/ref/15/14893.pdf
on page 3 it says
Naturally Controlling Squash Bugs
The squash bug is a major pest nationwide of squash and
pumpkins. [...] A K-State entomologist
is studying a parasitic wasp called Gyron that is a
natural enemy of the squash bug. It attacks the eggs of the
squash bug and could be an excellent biocontrol.
Contact: James Nechols
Entomology
Telephone: [...]
FAX: [...]
E-mail: [...]


here's another article
Squash Bug: Organic Control Options
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/squashbug.html#biological



http://www.gardenandhearth.com/OrganicVegetableGarden/Squash-Bugs.htm
says
Plants that are purported to repel squash bugs to some degree are catnip, tansy, radishes, nasturtiums, marigolds, bee balm, and mint. These can be planted near your squash plants with the goal of keeping squash bugs from finding a home in your organic garden.

[nikki]

Sqaush bugs- ahhhhhh- I started out with cucumber beetles in the sqaush bed this year and have moved on to squash bugs. I had been hand picking and spot-spraying with an organic inseticidal soap. This soap does get expensive- at around 6 $ per bottle and it seems to take a good 2 bottles to make it through the plot once. (I have very expensive squash!). I had applied pyrithin for my cucumber beetles but stopped this because I have tons of those wasps (ichneumon wasps) flying aroung the patch and did not want to kill them. Looking for a cheaper alternative I have been using the coffee- and it seems to work just as well for me as the expensive organic soap. I am just using regular strength fresh brewed coffee I added a little dish soap and also some hot pepper (I add this to the garlic/onion/pepper spray I have tried in the past) it seems to kill the really young sqaush bugs. Thanks for that suggestion from this board- your saving me money! Even with this the sqaush bugs are getting ahead of me. I think they are by far the worst pests ever. IMO. It does make me feel better that these pests are a nationwide problem. I found what I thought was an interesting article on them on the ATTRA- National Sustainable Agricultural Information Service. At least I know I am not alone in my frustrating battle with the squash bug!

[johno]

I know that I've tried everything I've ever read about these little devils (except oyster shells - gotta go buy some yet...) and NOTHING has worked. I think I'm gonna' have to build a biodome or something.

[GrowTheSeeds]

Does anybody know the stages of the squash bug - egg - etc and are the eggs chitin based - coated? What stages of the squash bug live in the soil?

[windsng225]

Everyone is talking about these dammmm squash bugs, no offence, but what do they look like. I don't think I have ever seen one. And for that matter wouldn't know if I saw one or not. Maybe I got em and don't know it.
The only thing that I was having problems with were these beetles that live on weeds and eat all the leaves and looked like they were mating (but that's my opinion, that's what it looked like).
Of course grasshoppers are jumping all over my flowers, but I don't think they are the squash bugs. I would like to squash them, eck! You guys are a lot braver than I am, squashing bugs, picking them off. I can't do that, if I see a bug, I flick it off or just shake the plant until it decides to find another home. Unless it's a spider, then I will go to all lengths to kill them!
joyce

[onmyknees]

bad news guys planted tansy all through the melons and squash found squash bug eggs on the tansy leaves

[onmyknees]

of everything I have tried the coffee ans soap worked best maybe if I put coffee grounds around the plants in the mulch which they seem to enjoy it would deter them
I am getting a few squash and so far the melons look good found a yellow and black bug on the pumpkins about 1/4 in long skinny what is this? some of the pumpkin and gourd plants that looked so good the leaves wilt and turn limp and then yellow why is that?

[johno]

windsng:
*Squash bugs look like long, skinny stink bugs and they leave clusters of tiny amber colored eggs on the squash leaves.
*Do those voracious beetles leave lots of droppings, and do some of them have a whitish stripe? They may be blister beetles - you don't want to hand pick them, anyway.
*Flick bugs on the ground and step on them - that's what I did 'til I got over the heebeejeebees.
*But don't kill the spiders in your garden - they're there to help!

onmyknees:
*Does the bug on the pumpkins have stripes? If so, it's most likely a striped cucumber beetle - they carry a bacterial wilt disease (at least the spotted ones do) that sounds like what you are describing. Pull a leaf off and see if they have stringy pus inside...

[windsng225]

OK johno, but I don't know what stink bugs look like either. As far as the beetles go, all I know is that they seem to group together and have like a shiny gold color to them and did not look that close to see if there were droppings. It's as if they start on the top of a weed and eat all the leaves and work their way down till everything is gone.
Believe me I don't touch any kind of bug!
Spiders and I don't get along, I am deathly afraid of them. I will not tolerate any. I get creeped out on spiders. I have been that way all my life, although I am better, I will loose sleep if I see one. So if I am working in the garden, and I see one, I will kill it, if I don't see it even better.
joyce

[Lavandula Girl]

Windsong - the bugs you're describing sound like Japanese Beetles - kind of like a scarab? They look metallic, and they group together. Squash bugs are shield shaped, and not metallic at all, just kind of dirt colored.

[johno]

Okay - definitely not blister beetles.
Squash bugs are about an inch log, maybe less, dark colored, and they hang out around the base of your squash plants. Sprinkle the plants thouroghly with water and see if they scurry to higher ground (up the plants.)

[Lavandula Girl]

Ugh! I just had to pull out 1/4 of my crooknecks and 3 gourds that the squash vine borers had devastated. Not only do they kill the plants, but they look so *#!@%# disgusting! I think they've formed an Axis of Evil with the squash bugs and the mildew, and are planning insurgent attacks in my raised beds. :mad:

[windsng225]

Eek!! I just found this wormy thing that's green, fat bugger like a catapiller and no hair but had all these white things all over it like bugs that were hitching a ride on it. On one of my tomatoe plant leaves. I don't touch bugs so pulled the leaf off and threw it away into a bunch of weeds, then just stomped on the weeds. I checked out the rest of the tomatoe plants and didn't see any more, but then it was green and kind of blended in with the leaf.
I don't like these things.
joyce

[Lavandula Girl]

Joyce - the bad news is that you found a tomato hornworm. The good news is that the beneficials have found it too - those little rice-like things on him are the eggs of a parasite, which will hatch and then kill the hornworm. Be aware that hornworms will rear up and try to look vicious when you go to remove them from plants, but it's all an act - they're just big caterpillars.

[windsng225]

Funny, L.girl, as soon as you said "hornworm" I yelled out, yeah, it had horns. Which let me say I didn't even think about! Then when you said "those little rice things" again I said "yeah, rice things"! LOL. So L.girl, do they come in pairs? Now I'm just afraid there are more and missed them. It's amazing to me that these parasites know to attach themselves to this fat thing to attack it! Isn't it just amazing to you too?
Thanks for the info. Now I know how to address this thing "hello Hornworm" or even better "good bye Hornworm!" Thanks again.
joyce

[Lavandula Girl]

They only came in pairs when Noah was in charge - in our gardens, they come in armies! You'll be able to see evidence of their munching - big humongous bites on the edges of the leaves - but they are way fiercer than they look. Take a DEEP breath, and pick them up. Now, let that breath out before you turn blue and pass out! Take another one, and, practicing your best tennis serve, huck it up in the air and swing at it with your trowel! Once you've gotten the hang of this, you can serve them pretty far! We have a huge black walnut in our yard, and a couple of years ago I got the kids some old tennis rackets at a garage sale, so they could whack the walnuts into the woods, and out of our yard. It was a fringe bene that the hornworms are large enough that we can also whack them! They make a different pinging noise, but still it's very satisfying to hear! Good luck with yours.....

[windsng225]

I guess I will have to unpack my tennis racket, haven't played in years. I really don't think I can pick them up, but I know I can cut the leaf and toss that sucker pretty far!
That will have to do, that's all I can do. But I bet he/she won't know what hit them.
Thanks for the advice.
joyce

[johno]

windsng,
Here's my first attempt at posting pictures. This is a squash bug and her eggs. These eggs are on the top of a leaf and kind of untidy, more often they are found on the underside and in tight geometric groups.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/RealSuki/squashbug.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/RealSuki/squashbugeggs.jpg

[zebraman]

Hey Lavandula Girl; Re: post #37 so *#!%# disgusting..... Is this what you meant by Adult?I take take it that these rules that you want everyone else to follow Do Not apply to you,Do they.Why am I not surprised?-ie that You do not practice what You preach.-

[Lavandula Girl]

No sir, what I meant by "adult" was on topic and not off color. I had the other thread closed because you were off topic, and had made an ugly joke about gynecologists. The comment I made in this thread, the one with the cartoon style pretend curse, was about the insects in my garden. Please note the thread title "Squash Bugs". I'm not sure what you meant about the "why am I not surprised" comment, as I don't believe I've had any contact with you, with which you could make a judgement that involved surprise. Perhaps you meant "Why am I not surprised that you were offended, because the gynecologist joke was an embarrassment." In that case, apology accepted.

[tabitha]

cant people be removed from the forums? for example, if a member were incapable of making posts that are not in poor taste and/or argumentative, and had repeatedly broken the guidelines, couldnt s/he be removed?

believe me, it does not grow forum membership to allow people of that sort to continue to use your forums.

tabitha

[GreenZone]

Yes, people can be banned from this forum. Or rather, specific member-names can be banned. But we try to limit moderator interference in the interest of free and interesting discussion on this forum. It's better if everyone can just be nice, though of course not everyone will. Off-color isn't nice (not in a family oriented gardening forum) and personal attacks are certainly not nice, nor are they necessary. I may not be able to define "nice" but I know it when I see it!

It isn't just a matter of rules (which are enforceable), but also of etiquette, which is really defined by the community at large.

I shouldn't have to say it but I guess I do: "Please be civil on this forum."

Randel

[Lavandula Girl]

I'm not interested in having people removed. The ONLY reason I had the other thread closed was because I had asked for information in a Gardening Forum, and instead got a joke that was in poor taste. Since it was obvious that the thread was primed to devolve into a series of posts that had nothing to do with what I asked for, it seemed prudent to just lock it down, so no one had to wade through looking for the answers. I'm truly baffled at the need to dig through other threads looking for a reason to make a comment about me. I hope I haven't been less than civil to anyone here. Thanks for the PMs re: the old wives' tales, everyone! Again - I am not interested in a long running gripe about anyone else. Gardening talk is what we're here for, right?

[tabitha]

lavandula: i wasnt referring to you. i havent, in my limited reading here, found anything you have written offensive. however, i have been many times disgusted by racism, classism, bigotry and crudeness allowed to be spewed on these boards. why havent i said anything before? because i am about to leave the forums if it isnt stopped. i messaged Jere Gettle gently about this issue and received no response, which tells me he must agree with these disgusting sentiments.

i prefer to use these forums, as lightly as i do use gardening forums, because i am local. i love the company and use more Baker creek seed than anything else. it just makes sense for me to utilize these boards.

it would be really nice if people would follow ettiquette and no one ever had to be removed. this is not the case in any forum i have been involved in. there are always those who arent here to stay on topic.

i apologize for publicly declaring my opinion on this matter, but it seems this is the only way to be heard.

tabitha

[johno]

And this has what to do with squash bugs?

[windsng225]

Thank you, Johno! Everyone goes off topic once and a while. Sometimes you just can't help it, but what really gets anoying, is when it goes on and on and on.

[johno]

Well, history is repeating itself. My squash plants are dropping like flies. All the field pumpkins save one are gone, Black Futsu is looking rough, crooknecks are toast, straightnecks are making whopping two inch fruits, lost a yellow scallop and a zuchinni this week... why do we try? And how the heck did the Indians do it? And what good is a squash bug, anyway? The lemon squash were doing fine until yesterday, wish I could take whatever it is that makes gourds impervious and put it into the squash...

[Lavandula Girl]

Yeah - except then the squash borers move in, and they seem to like the gourds as much as the squash... as to what they're good for, I was just having this conversation with my kids yesterday. They were saying they couldn't understand why something like a mosquito was ever created, so I showed them a Audobon-style drawing of a mosquito magnified something like 400 times. The structure is so perfect, and so artistic, and they could see that. Now, I am not saying squash bugs are art, but there is something infinitely perfect in all creation, know what I mean? For all it ticks us off, even squash bugs have a certain terrible beauty. Which doesn't stop me from crushing them like the bugs they are, but does explain why I say things like "Oh, just beautiful!" when I see them! :D

[windsng225]

Johno, so sorry about the squash! That is truly heartbreaking, because of a bug! I know we are all trying to be "organic" but sometimes we have to trust in science. There must be something out there that will protect your squash plants from these nasty squash bugs. I know if it were me, if everything else failed, I would be first in line to buy something to kill and protect my plants. But like I said, that's me. I'm old and work too hard in the garden to let the **** bugs win! Good luck.
joyce

[redbrick]

I found this tip in an old OG issue. Mind you, I haven't tried it, so I make no claims personally. However, supposedly, shaving cream lather coating the stems will keep pests at bay. Supposedly. Also, you have to reapply the stuff now and again. The person who contributed the idea said they got it from looking at spittlebug "drool". Might be worth a try?

[Lavandula Girl]

So between Gardenurse's foil remedy, and Andy's here, the squash I have left will smell like clean shaven broiled zucchini! Johno - I was reading back through the thread - I take it the osage orange idea was a bust, then?

[johno]

I have never hears of the shaving cream idea before. While I am not willing to poison my food in order to eat it, that sounds innocuous enough to give it a try!

The Osage oranges don't work. In fact, I've been meaning to post here that I read recently that they don't even work as the household insect repellants that many people use them for. Some animals like squirrels and horses even eat them on occasion, but I wouldn't recommend any of you do the same.

[Gardenurse]

LOL: Clean shaven broiled zucchini! I have images of a vegetable barber shop where the talk is about soil, pests, rain, and their neighbor who just disappeared one morning. What a great cartoon for a gardening magazine (wish I had artistic ability in that manner).

[tabitha]

we have stumbled across a squash bug predator. our guineas were just caught eating an entire colony of squash bug nymphs and eggs. they are so delicate--they scrape the leaves with their beaks and leave them undamaged. we plan to get more guineas next spring and put their guinea-house adjoining the garden. i'd even confine them to the garden if they didn't fly so well. besides they do an amazing job killing all the ticks and chiggers around our house. they don't scratch the ground up like our chickens and lean heavily toward being carnivorous.

karl

[Lavandula Girl]

There's a house about 1/2 a mile away that has a flock of guineas that are perpetually getting out and blocking the road. (maybe they think they're sheep?!) Perhaps one of these days I'll just "aquire" the guineas for a few hours, to clean up my squash! Johno - I had high hopes for that osage orange thing.... too bad!

[windsng225]

LOL! Think they are sheep! LOL

Rosie O'donnell used to say when she lived here in Ct that she got some guineas and they ate all the ticks. But they used to get out too and all the rich neighbors used to complain! LOL Can't win.
Have a good day! :)
joyce

[johno]

I had a flock of guineas several years ago hoping they would eat all the ticks, but they were all eaten by something (maybe ticks?) before they could do much good. Now that I hear they eat squash bugs, maybe I will try again.

[Lavandula Girl]

Be careful! If the same thing happens again, the squash bugs may take bigger bites out of those guineas! :D

[Bluegillman]

johno, do u let those flock of guineas roam freely or caged? My wife's late dad use to have them and they were free roaming and they don't come near us only her dad. Where I go for fishing there are too many ticks out there and one of the guys thought to have guineas as they would clean up the ticks but the state doesn't want to do that as those birds don't belong here and for dollars reason too. Good idea to have those birds!

[johno]

I let them roam at first, but the wild predators are thick here and began wiping them out immediately. I tried caging them at night and letting them roam by day, but some small predator could always figure out a way to get in until all the guineas were gone. For some reason the chickens were less attractive (could have been the grand champion rooster guarding them?) and outlasted the guineas. I now have my birds in a chickenhouse that I built out of oak with wire fencing buried underground all around it. I suppose I could put guineas in there, but I need them in the garden, not laying eggs.

I am considering making a portable birdcage the size of my garden beds so I can use guineas as moveable feasters.

[tabitha]

i like that idea of caging them in each bed. i wonder what the optimum time per bed location would be before destruction of desirable plants would occur?

[johno]

I would think it would need to be moved daily. With one moveable guinea pen that would hit each bed about once every two weeks in my garden. Come to think of it, You probably need to get each bed once per week to stay ahead of the bugs. That would mean moving them twice a day or covering two beds at a time in my case. But that doesn't exactly answer your question.

Honestly, I don't know how long it would take before the guineas started in after the plants, I guess it would depend on how many guineas you had per square foot vs. how many bugs for them to eat. In other words, it might just take a little trial and error to figure it out.

[Lavandula Girl]

Do you guys think bottle birdhouse gourds would cross with other gourds, or with any squashes? The vines on the ones my daughter brought home and planted are very different from the other, volunteer gourds we have, and also from the summer and winter squashes. Instead of the really broad, coarse leaves and prickly vines, these have a lambsear fuzzy feel. They have a differently shaped flower, which is white instead of orange or yellow, which opens at night as it gets dark. This leads me to believe it is courting a totally different pollinator. The plants also have a bitter, almost disagreeable odor. The plants themselves are doing very well, though, which brings me to the reason for the curiosity: These are the only vines in our garden which are completely untouched by squash bugs and/or squash vine borers.... no eggs, no die back, no bugs at all. So... if I interplant these next year in with my summer squash and pumpkins, will I remotely be risking a cross? It seems to me the odor and texture might confuse the bugs.

[redbrick]

They won't cross, since the birdhouse gourds (and other "hard" gourds like bushel gourds) are Lagenaria, while ornamental gourds are Cucurbita pepo, which is why they'll cross with squash. That interplanting idea sounds pretty slick, it just might work!

[tabitha]

nice idea, interplanting works in other areas. this might be an interesting experiment.

k-)

[Lavandula Girl]

Thanks! As I said in that post about the unknown gourds - they really aren't my area at all. I think I see a replanning of the 2007 veggie gardens in my future!

[Jeannine]

The Guineas will go for the plants whether there are bugs out there in the plants or not, especially once you start having ripening fruit and vegies!


Jeannine

[johno]

Really? Thats disappointing. I knew chickens were pretty destructive in the garden, but I had heard the opposite about guineas; they never bothered mine the short time they were here... Geese are easy on the plants after the seedling stage, but they are so loud and aggressive.

[Jeannine]

Prior to fruiting they aren't too hard on the plants, and I've even read of gardening with guineas (not the book or whatever), but in my experience with the neighbors guineas.....

They will go after your ripening toms, fruit will be damaged if not from them trying to eat the fruit itself but in going for the bugs that are on there and they will dig large depressions where you have nice loose soil and they will knock off immature fruit.

Wish I could say they are the answer!

Jeannine

[johno]

Shucks.
Well, thanks for saving me the trouble.

[GreenZone]

yup I'm for it....anything's worth a try, and it sounds plausible.

[nikki]

I was just in the process of deciding if I was going to take a couple of guineas from someone. A male-female adult pair that had been offered to me. Could two guineas really do that much damage? Would they be worse than sqaush bugs? We have a barn and all that on the opposite side of the property from the garden. My thought was a small almost dog house like structure built on the edge of my main garden. I thought a small house of their own (seperate from chickens by the barn) might keep them in that area? I am also concerned about predators- we have coyotes and fox both. I know guineas like to perch and there is a nice tree towwards the edge of the garden. Would they even go in a structure at night if we built it- any thoughts anyone with guinea experience on this?

My sqaush bed is completely destroyed. I have harvested enough pumpkins to make the kids happy, all the winter sqaush is cooked and in the freezer and I just let them have at the summer sqaush as I always get sick of that by this time (you can only make so much "summer sqaush conserve" anyway!). Now with not bug picking and fighting them for a little over a week there are SO many of them. I am regretting ignoring them because I fear that this will haunt me next year. Also they are moving on to my melon bed as well which up to this point has been beautiful and doing wonderful. I am planning on puting all the mulch and sqaush refuse into a big pile and burning it - I hope fire will kill some of them. I am toying with the idea of next year either skipping all sqaush/pumpkins (or just doing one plant of summer, one winter and one pumpkin then making sure I kill every single bug). I think their numbers are so bad this year because they seem to get worse every year (plus I planted twice as much as previous years this year)- I know that the last few years I miss bugs and then they come back even worse the next year. I do have a pretty clean garden and have tried most things I read about to help with them. I am feeling a little discouraged at ever having a beautiful pumpkin patch that is still around in fall weather. I feel a little better at least as my mother who is too fond of Seven (IMO-in my opinion) and has told me that I have sqaush bug problems because I do not use Seven has sqaush bugs too- apparently they can even survive heavy Seven use! (her dependence on Seven and my attempts to organic garden are a constant debate between us)

[GreenZone]

My guineas do have occasional access to my garden, and they had free access during the height of the squash bug debacle. They either don't eat 'em, or don't eat enough of 'em. At least that's how it was in my garden. It might also depend on what else is available.

Over all they did little damage, but there were exceptions. They trampled a nice row of Lima beans which grew next to a fence. They were trying to get out, and ran back and forth flinging themselves against the fence which killed that particular row. On balance, though, to me they've been very good to have around.

[zebraman]

Hey Greenzone;Are these the common helmeted,or do you also keep Vulturine and Kenyan Crested?

[GreenZone]

Just common ones---the last survivors from 30 I started two years ago. We're down to seven birds but that number has been stable since last winter. Considering the way they've virtually eliminated the tick poulation, they're possibly our favorite livestock.

[johno]

Don't give up nikki!

[nikki]

Thanks johno- I wasn't thinking of giving up forever but maybe taking a year off. I read somewhere that just not growing sqaush etc for one year will help for future crops as it gives you a year to get rid of them. I do not know If I really can not grow any for a whole summer! I am thinking if I scale back all curcubits so I can be very thourogh in killing all of these darn bugs it will help me in future crops. :{

[zebraman]

Hey Nikki;You live in Iowa which means you get a hard freeze.In winter plow your squash beds to expose larvae of vine borers hybernating in the soil.Also rotate your beds every year.Also plant C.mochatta's for a season or two.-

[johno]

Good idea Nikki. I try to do that every year, but I always give in and try again - just can't help myself!

Zebraman, Why C.moschatas?

[nikki]

thanks Zebraman- you know I do rotate my crops- sqaush has followed potatoes the last few years in my rotation. I also till- I pay in early spring to have most of it done with a small tractor plow and then also till in the summer between some plantings (I have to borrow a tiller from my mom!). I have never had a problem with the vine borers (yet!) just sqaush bugs the last few years. I think why they have become so bad is I also have pretty large perrenial beds- around 28 rose bushes mixed in with them to give you an idea of size-(I live on a 3.75 acerage). I usually mulch well over the winter I am tech in zone 5 but I live up on a hill with a pretty view but killer north winds (constant question- do we lose the veiw and great sunsets for some more windbreak?) so I try to protect things esp on the north-west side of the property as if I were really in zone 4. Anyway- what this is leading to is the sqaush bugs have plenty of places to overwinter.

Yeah Johno- I am going to TRY to try it! One of my books recommends these varieties that tolerate sqaush bugs- early prolific, early summer, royal acorn, and table queen. I personally have never tried any of these- anyone else grown these? Is the variety you mentioned zebraman the same idea?

[Heirloom Seed Shop]

Hi Nikki:
I had beautiful squash and squash plants last year. I didn't even see one squash bug. I had put a lot of rabbit manure in my soil. Maybe that did something. (?)

[zebraman]

Hey Nikki; C.Mochatta's ie.Butternut,Thaitian Melon, have a solid stem and are completely resistant to vine borers.I have grown Early prolific straightneck,Table Queen and Royal Acorn.T.Q. is a bush and is really prolific.E.P.S. is prolific but taste isn't.
Covering the Squash beds with Row Cover(REMAY) until the plants start flowering will greatly reduce squash bug infestation.Also digging in a lot of compost,blood/bone meal.Hoof and Horn Meal is really good because it lasts all season.
And No,The veiw is way more important!-

[April]

For folks who want moveable pens for their chickens/guineas...try googling chicken tractor.

[Tim]

Squash bugs are the only bugs I have, and I hate them. I'm going to try the coffee spray tomarow, using espresso roast, I hope they die faster with it. If I can get rid of the squash bugs, I wont have any pests here. I also orderd Pyola from gardens alive, it said in the catalog that it kills the adults also, and I think it said it didnt harm good bugs not sure though.

[johno]

Good luck with that.

Anytime you aren't sure, wait until dusk when the squash flowers close to spray so the bees don't touch it the next day.

[SunflowerMeg]

I don't have time to read through 9 pages of posts, so this might be all repeat. But I've been watching, what I think, is part of the life cycle of squash bugs and wondering if I have it right.

I guess I'll start at the point when I see the adults. Okay. I catch them in the act of mating and sometimes I even catch "her" in the act of laying the eggs.

Awhile later, I start to see all these little bugs...they are whitish with little black heads? Then, I'll start seeing bigger, whitish bugs, that look a whole lot like albino squash bugs. All the while, the adults are still mating and still laying eggs.

Are those little whitish bugs I'm seeing are the babies? And the little bit larger albino ones just a little more mature? Am I to assume there are several cycles? I guess I can check that online.

The squash bugs are really heavy here; not sure why 'cause I don't think the previous owners had a veggie garden. I see no signs of one, so how the heck did these things find the garden so fast?

It seems logical to control these pests by getting them before they lay eggs, 'cause once that happens, it's out-of-control. There is no way one can find all the eggs - I have found them on tomato plants, on pepper plants, on bean plants...everywhere...on top of leaves and underneath leaves. So, it's not really about getting rid of them completely once you have them, it's about trying to keep them under control, isn't it? Has ANYONE successfuly gotten squash bugs gone, forever?

[johno]

yes,yes.......yes,NO

[fawnmeadow]

Johno, Thanks to your good pictures I now know I have squash bugs(Idid read all 9 pages). My Curshaw vines have been wilting and this morning I discovered the bugs all over the stems. Would it do any good to pick the squash and then burn all the vines and hay mulch around them?
I have a flock of free range guineas that for some reason ignore the garden, don't eat the bugs or the maters.
Phyl

[johno]

It wouldn't be a bad idea to harvest whatever you can and burn the vines. Have your funeral pyre ready to pile them on so the bugs don't have a chance to get away - rake it all to the middle on top of dry kindling in other words. May want to make sure there isn't a burn ban in effect first...

[slug slayer]

Hey all -
I lost just about every single squash, cuc, melon and h20 melon. I contacted Amy Goldman (the squash and melon queen) and also my Cornell Cooperative and they both suggested Bt( Bacillus Thurigensis (sp?). Cornell said to use Bt San Diego strain. I have been gardening completely organic up to this point but alas...I may give in.
Has anyone used Bt (Dipel or whatever else it is called?)

Slug slayer

[johno]

Did they recommend this for squash bugs?! or squash vine borers?

[cReAtIoN gRoAnS]

Wow...I would be surprised if that worked. Please let me know.

I have a good friend of mine that uses EM in his beds and the process kills all eggs in the soil as well as bacteria. This is the route I will be taking. Along with planting resistant varieties.

I wonder if they are reffering to a Bt that is soil applied in order to kill overwintering eggs. Somewhat like the milky spore??? I really have a hard time believing that BT will kill Squash bugs. Seems like it would more the equivalant of spraying safers soap on a rhino. But hey what do I know. Please, again, let me know if that works for ya.,

Chad

[johno]

What's EM (and why do I have thefeeling this is a silly question?) Will it also kill all the good bacteria and other microbes in the soil?

"...soap on a rhino..." That's a good one!

[cReAtIoN gRoAnS]

Em...not a silly question...I have actually posted this several times on this forum and people just do not seem to be interested. But here it is again.

www.scdworld.com

this stuff is awesome and you can expand it to 2000 times its volume. In other words by a gallon and make 40.

Em is Efficent Microbes...and no it will not kill the good bacteria...it is the good bacteria. It will only add to the life and health of your plants.

I will give you a bit when you come if you are interested.

Later!
Chad

[fawnmeadow]

Chad, I'm pretty much a newcomer and haven't heard of the EM before. I looks to be quite interesting, what time of year do you use it on the garden and do you only need to use it once a year?
Johno, DH took a propane flame and fried alot of the SB on the plants. Really brought them scurrying out of the mulch too! This weekend, I will do as you suggested and have my funeral pyre - No burn Ban here - Burn Bugs, Burn! :D
Phyl