Top Five Ways to Control Squash Bugs

By: Tammy Biondi
Squash bugs are a garden insect pest that seem to drive many people right to the brink of insanity. They are willing to feed on any member of the cucurbit family and feel free to help themselves to your cucumbers, summer and winter squash and pumpkins. Once they have sucked the juices from these plants, the vines often turn black and die back. To add insult to injury, squash bugs will feed on the actual fruit of the plant once they have become bored with feeding on the foliage.
Squash bug fast facts
Adult squash bugs are about 5/8'' long and 1/4'' wide. They are grey or black and have orange and brown stripes on the edges of their abdomen.
Squash bugs' preferred food is yellow crookneck or yellow straight-neck squash.
They usually have one generation per year, though they can have two in the Southern United States.
Their eggs are a yellow to bronze in color and are deposited on underside of leaves along leaf veins in groups of a dozen or more.
It is possible to control squash bugs in your organic garden. Careful planning will be the key to your success. There are several modes of attack that can be incorporated into your plan. These include altering your planting dates or using certain plant varieties, mulch and tillage practices.

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