Squash Bug Control

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How to Get Rid of Squash Bugs Naturally Squash bugs on your plants can be a persistent and hard-to-control pest issue. Unlike soft-bodied insects that most treatments eliminate, squash bugs are more difficult to manage. They have a hard, flat exoskeleton that protects adults from many predators and contact treatments. The best squash bug control plan uses early scouting, hand removal, and cultural prevention. Use targeted organic treatments in a coordinated IPM program. We offer effective, natural tools to control squash bugs. Our methods help protect squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, and melons from seedlings to harvest. What Are Squash Bugs? Squash bugs (Anasa tristis, order Hemiptera) are large, hard-bodied, shield-shaped insects in the family Coreidae. They come from the same family as leaf-footed bugs and stink bugs. They are native to North America and have been a documented pest of cucurbit crops for over 120 years. What Squash Bugs Look Like: Adults are 5/8 inch long, flat-backed, and grayish-brown to dark gray or black. They have orange to orange-brown stripes along the edges of the abdomen and on the underside. They also have wings which makes it easy for them to infest your garden quickly. Eggs are bronze to brick-red, about 1/16 inch long, and laid in tight, neat clusters of 15 to 40 eggs. You most commonly find eggs on the underside of leaves, but you also find them on stems and between leaf veins. Nymphs (immature squash bugs) pass through five instars. Newly hatched nymphs are about 1/8 inch long, initially light green, turning light gray in the second instar. Like stink bugs, squash bugs have scent glands and produce a strong, unpleasant odor when crushed or disturbed. Squash Bugs vs. Squash Vine Borers Squash bugs (Anasa tristis) and squash vine borers (Melittia cucurbitae) are two different pests that frequently cause confusion because both attack squash plants. They require completely different management strategies: Squash bugs are true bugs (Hemipter