Discovering squash bug damage on your squash, pumpkin, or any cucurbit plants can be discouraging, but I’m here to help you “squash” your squash bug problem like I did mine. In this post I’ll teach you how to get rid of squash bugs naturally and and make sure those pesky bugs don’t ruin your squash harvest this year.
My Personal Squash Bug Plight
Squash bugs have been a frustration for me this year. After dealing with low and slow germination last year, I decided to start backup squash plants inside in pots. Good thing I did, because once again, germination was low and slow.
So, I happily transplanted the healthy backup plants into my garden, only to have nearly all of them decimated a few days later! I picked off over a dozen squash bugs from the surrounding mulch and dropped them in a bucket of water, but the plants were too damaged to recover. I’m talking no leaves left at all–just green stems and a few leaf skeletons poking up where my seedlings used to be.
Below is a picture I snapped of one of the squash bugs I found in my garden. Squash bugs can vary in appearence, so I included this image to illustrate that point, even though it’s not the best quality photo. This one is darker than many of the images you’ll see online, but it is within the color range and does have the distinctive orange-brown stripes on its sides (eventhough they don’t show up in the picture). An expert at my local nursery agreed that this is in fact a squash bug.
To be fair to the squash bugs, I believe they had some help from pill bugs in completely destroying my plants. It was a one-two punch, with squash bugs weakening the plants and pill bugs taking over from there. But controlling pill bugs is a topic for another day.
Determined to find a solution, I researched natural and organic methods to get rid of squash bugs, and I’m sharing what I learend with you here.
Squash Bug Identification
To solve your squash pest problem, it’s important to identify the culprit correctly.
Adult squash bugs are about 5/8 inch long (1.6 cm), with flat bodies and brownish-gray to black coloring. They have distinctive orange or brown stripes along the edges of their abdomens. They typically lay small, reddish-brown eggs on the undersides of leaves.
You might spot the nymphs first, which are wingless and move quickly, with green abdomens and red legs. Adult squash bugs are slower and tend to hide under leaves or around the base of plants. After watering plants, you might find them drying themselves on the top of mulch or leaves.
Common signs of infestation include yellowing leaves, wilting, and brown spots on the foliage. If you notice these symptoms, check your plants closely for squash bugs, eggs, and nymphs.
How Squash Bugs Damage Plants
Squash bugs (Anasa tristis) are true bugs that attack cucurbit plants, including melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, gourds, and squash. Both nymphs and adults use their sucking mouthparts to extract sap from the plants. While feeding, they inject a toxic substance that causes a condition known as Anasa Wilt, which closely resembles bacterial wilt. Anasa Wilt symptoms include wilted leaves that become brown or black and die. This damage weakens the plants, so it’s importnat to manage squash bug infestations as soon as you notice a problem.
How to Get Rid of Squash Bugs
In my research, I found that there aren’t any very effective organic sprays to control squash bugs. The most effective methods for controlling squash bugs include cultural and mechanical controls including crop rotation, manual removal, physical barriers, and removing their habitat.
Unfortunately, removing squash bug habitat means removing mulch around your plants, which is against a cardinal rule of permaculture–keep the soil covered. Removing plant material at the end of the season will curb the problem the following year, and I recommend doing this. However, keeping the soil uncovered, both over winter and during the growing season, has more negatives than positives, in my opinion.
So in my garden I’ll be sticking to companion planting, manual removal and physical barriers for the most part. But I’ll pass on what I learned about organic sprays to get rid of squash bugs as well.
Cultural Methods to Control Squash Bugs
Preventing squash bugs and minimizing their impact from the get-go is easier than dealing with an infestation. Here are a few cultural practices to keep these pests at bay:
Crop Rotation
Rotate your crops each year to disrupt the life cycle of squash bugs. They tend to overwinter in the soil and reappear in the same spots. This is one reason I had trouble this year, and I’ll be sure to consider this in my future garden plans
Companion Planting
Certain plants can repel squash bugs. Planting chives, oregano, basil, marigolds, or nasturtiums near your squash can help deter these pests.
Grow Resistant Cucurbit Varieties
Some squash varieties are more resistant to squash bugs, such as Butternut squash. Other cucurbit crops may be less susceptible than squash, such as cucumber and melons. Choose these resistant types to reduce the likelihood of an infestation.
Here is a list of resistant and susceptible squash varieties from the Utah State University Extension:
Resistant:
- Butternut
- Royal Acorn
Moderately Resistant:
- Sweet Cheese
- Green Striped Cushaw
Susceptible:
- Pink Banana
- Black Zucchini
Highly Susceptible and Attractive:
- Yellow Straightneck
- Yellow Crookneck
- Hubbard Pumpkin
Use Trap Plants
Trap plants are more attractive to pests than your main crops. Planting these can lure squash bugs away from your main plants. Hubbard squash is a particularly effective trap plant. Squash bugs prefer it over other squash varieties, so planting it nearby can draw them away from your primary crops.
Place trap plants around the perimeter of your garden or interspersed among your main plants. Regularly inspect and remove squash bugs from the trap plants to prevent them from spreading back to your main crops.
Trellising
Growing your cucurbits on trellises can reduce accessibility of the plants, since squash bugs like to hang out under vines and leaves near the soil surface.
To trellis cucurbits, gently guide them up the support structure as they grow by weaving the vines through the holes in the trellis and using soft plant ties to hold vines in place as necessary. For heavier fruits such as pumpkins and melons, create little hammocks to support the fruit by tying pantyhose to the trellis and resting the fruit in the sling.
Trellising has the added benefit of vertical gardening, which is nearly always a good idea when you want to grow more in a small space, especially with sprawling palnts like cucurbits.
Mechanical Squash Bug Control Methods
If the above cultural practices don’t fully keep squash bugs away, try these mechanical control methods.
Hand-Pick Bugs and Eggs
Regularly inspect your plants, checking both the top and undersides of leaves. Pick off any squash bugs or eggs that you find and dop them into a bucket of water. For extra insurance that they don’t rturn, add some soap to the water.
A tip I picked up from my local nursery is to use a piece of duct tape wrapped around your hand, sticky side out, to pull the adult bugs, nymphs, and eggs off the leaves.
Create Physical Barriers
Use row covers or hoop houses (affiliate links) to protect young plants from squash bugs.
Use covers that allow sunlight through, and leave them in place while your plants are young. Tightly secure the edges to minimize access points for squash bugs to enter.
When flowers form, remove the covers to allow pollinators access.
Physical Traps
Place wooden boards or similar items in the garden near your squash plants and check beneath them each morning for squash bugs sheltering there and dispose of them—remember the soapy water trick.
Biological Control of Squash Bugs
Encourage Natural Enemies of Squash Bugs
Both parasitic wasps and parasitic flies can help control squash bug populations.
Specific species can vary by location, but examples of these parasitoids include Trichopoda pennipes (a parasitic fly) that attacks older nymphs and adults, and Encyrtidae and Scelionidae (parasitic wasps) that target eggs.
To attract these beneficial insects, plant herbs and flowers that provide nectar for them, such as dill, parsley, fennel, and cilantro. These are cool season herbs, so plan ahead and sew these seeds in your garden early in the growing season.
Encourage Natural Predators
In general, it’s a good idea to encourage diversity of wildlife in your garden. Natural insect predators such as birds and spiders can keep pest populations in balance.
However, squash bugs have an effective defense system to protect themselves against these predators. When attacked, squash bugs release a noxious odor that repels predators. So, although encouraging natural predators can help, predation rates are low, so focus on other control methods.
Organic Spray Treatments for Squash Bugs
I’m not including synthetic insecticides in this section, as I have no interest in using them myself, and don’t recommend them due to the unintended consequences of their use.
Even organic insecticides can be troublesome, but I’ve included neem oil as a relatively safe option.
Kaolin clay isn’t an insecticide at all, but a physical barrier that confuses pests. I’ve included it here rather than in the mechanical control section due to its spray on application method.
Neem Oil
Derived from the Indian neem tree, neem oil (affiliate link) is an organic plant-based insecticide and fungicide. It’s reportedly effective against many common garden pests, including squash bugs.
Neem oil came up repeatedly in my research as being effective against squash bugs, however other sources say it isn’t very effective. If you decide to try it, apply neem oil to your squash plants as directed by the product packaging.
Although it’s organic, neem oil can be dangerous to children, and it can harm bees and other beneficial insects if not used correctly, so use it with caution and follow the directions carefully.
Kaolin Clay
Kaolin clay (affiliate link) can be an effective and organic method for controlling squash bugs. This fine, white clay is applied to plants as a spray, creating a protective barrier that confuses and repels pests. When squash bugs come into contact with the kaolin-coated surfaces, they find it irritating and are less likely to feed on or lay eggs on the plants.
To use kaolin clay, mix it with water according to the manufacturer’s instructions and spray it evenly over the foliage of your cucurbit plants. Ensure thorough coverage, including the undersides of leaves, where squash bugs often hide. Reapply after rain or as new growth appears to maintain protection.
Final Thoughts on Getting Rid of Squash Bugs
In my opinion, using sprays against squash bugs seems more trouble than it’s worth. It’s easier to put up barriers and regularly check plants for bugs than to apply sprays that are less effective than manual picking. However, every gardener has their own preferences, so I hope this article helps you find a solution that works best for you.
Conclusion
Squash bugs can be a nuisance in the garden, but with the right strategies, you can manage and prevent infestations naturally and organically.
By identifying these pests early and using prevention and control methods such as companion planting, hand-picking, and using trap plants, you can protect your squash and other cucurbit crops. Encouraging natural enemies of squash bugs and, in serious cases, applying organic sprays, can also help keep squash bug populations in check.
I hope some of these techniques help you tackle any squash bug trouble you may be facing in your garden.
Happy curcubit growing!
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