Squash Bugs

Jeepdog · January 10, 2011

I have what looks like squash bugs on my tomato plants. I have about 30 tomato plants growing right now and I live in SW Florida. I have seen these bugs periodically throughout the garden and I handpick as I see them. I have noticed though, that on one particular plant and, on one particular tomato cluster, they seem to be having a meeting. There are about 15 on this one tomato. I have sprayed with BT until the plant is dripping and they disperse and come right back. I have tried to handpick, but they are to fast for me to get them all. I get what I can. Go away, come back 10 min later and they are back... Must be some classroom instruction going on there. Any ideas? Even though I handpick some, when they disappear and come back, it seems the same numbers arrive. It is almost like they have a set number that must be present and if I destroy some by handpicking, they call in the reserves to fill in the vacancies. Really weird. I am almost positive they are squash bugs! Please help! As I said, I see the bug periodically throughout the garden and handpick and destroy as I find them, but this one tomato plant/cluster meeting place is really weird. Wondering if they are planning an attack of the entire garden...

stormymater · January 10, 2011

Are you technologically advanced enough to take & then post a pic of them? (that would be a challenge for me though I have managed it)
Seeing what these little buggers look like would help.
BT (my favorite brand name around here is "Worm Whipper") works only on soft caterpillars, maybe larvae (dunno as I use it primarily for the hornworms - I think it works for fruitworms too). I use pyrethrins (& sometimes permethrin) for our other enemy - the leaf footed stink bug. I admit enjoying seeing them get the "thousand yard stare" & literally falling off the tomato vines. Good stuff in my book. FTR - the stink bugs literally shake off Sevin & scoot around to the other side of the plants & pepp out - taunting me. Not so with pyrethrins/permethrin. This stuff kills beneficials too so I am judicious with the application - both in amount & time of day. The bees head off but the stinkbugs stay all the time.

habitat_gardener · January 10, 2011

Big brownish bugs with orange edges?

I had squash bugs one year (on Ronde de Nice or Eight Ball or similar) summer squash. It was easy to find the eggs and get rid of those leaves. The reason you see clusters, I'm guessing, is because they're mating. All the time. I'd find those egg clusters every time I looked, which was every day or two. And it seems that if I missed a day, the next time there'd be all these adolescent squash bugs running around, getting ready to mate. I haven't grown those squash varieties since then and haven't seen a squash bug since, either.

One thing I've noticed when I get pests is that they often cluster on the weakest plant and leave the rest alone. It's especially pronounced on brassicas (aphids). So when I'd plant a 6-pack, typically one plant was the pest magnet (and 2 plants lasted 3-4 years or more).

I'd find it harder to sacrifice a tomato plant if it was the only one I had of that variety, but maybe you can sequester that plant (by encasing it in row cover?) so that they don't spread to other plants.

Jeepdog · January 10, 2011

I got some pictures today but not sure if they are good enough to post. Will fool around tonight to see if I can increase the size. I went back later today to try to get some more pictures but they saw me coming and ran for cover. I have a cheat sheet of "bad/good bugs" that I had in the garden the other night. I am pretty sure they are squash bugs. But, they are on the tomato plants. I am trying to stay organic so need to find a bug solution and still stay organic. They still seem to be contained to this one plant and this one tomato. I forgot to mention, not sure if this means anything. I put pantyhose on the tomatoes to support the fruit. They are quite large. Not sure if this makes a difference. I have alot of the tomatoes supported this way but still this one plant/tomato is the only one that seems to be the meeting place. I pulled 14 lbs of tomatoes off yesterday alone and one weight 1 lb 8 oz. Looks like I have a bunch more to pull tomorrow. Guess I will be canning tomorrow...

tjg911 · January 11, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeepdog

I got some pictures today but not sure if they are good enough to post. Will fool around tonight to see if I can increase the size. I went back later today to try to get some more pictures but they saw me coming and ran for cover. I have a cheat sheet of "bad/good bugs" that I had in the garden the other night. I am pretty sure they are squash bugs. But, they are on the tomato plants. I am trying to stay organic so need to find a bug solution and still stay organic. They still seem to be contained to this one plant and this one tomato. I forgot to mention, not sure if this means anything. I put pantyhose on the tomatoes to support the fruit. They are quite large. Not sure if this makes a difference. I have alot of the tomatoes supported this way but still this one plant/tomato is the only one that seems to be the meeting place. I pulled 14 lbs of tomatoes off yesterday alone and one weight 1 lb 8 oz. Looks like I have a bunch more to pull tomorrow. Guess I will be canning tomorrow...

why don't you go to google images and type squash bug.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&s...=&oq=&gs_rfai=

DO NOT confuse squash bugs with SPINED SOLDIER BUGS! ssb are beneficals and look a LOT like sb!

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&b...ined+&gs_rfai=

stormymater · January 10, 2011

eeeeew - I hate it when they run & then look over their backs at me (neener neener) - the stinkbugs (when they are not preoccupied mating) will move around behind the tomato vine & then, THEN they PEEP around at me! Arrrrrgh! They are hard to get on 6 to 8 foot high plants in a 20 inch raised bed so that is why I resorted to chemical warfare.

Jeepdog · January 10, 2011

These are in 12" raised beds and prior to the freeze, the biggest was topping at 7'8" 3 weeks prior to the freeze. Sad to say, they are not that high now. I am not sure, but I think the bugs flipped me off tonight! Will post photos as soon as I have some that are at least somewhat identifible.

roper2008 · January 11, 2011

Even without a picture, I'm guessing stink bugs. They like my tomatoes
and peppers.

stormymater · January 11, 2011

Really, reaaally detest those mocking stinkbugs - I can almost hear their high pitched tiny little Frenchman-like tauntings (a la Monty Python and the Holy Grail) when they scuttle behind a vine & then peep out. grrrrrrr!

RinTinTin · January 13, 2011

Their name alone is their destiny: SQUASH BUGS.

MikeInCypress · January 13, 2011

Type in Leaf Footed Bug in Google. I'll bet what you find is what you have. They are the bane of my gardening. Neem works a little. Pyrethrin sprays work but unless you get the eggs or the nymphs (the thinner red bugs that congregate) you will have them back within a week. Someone said they use the shop vac to vacuum them up and that is what I am going to try this year. Suck up a little water so the dang bugs don't fly away when I empty the container.

MikeInCypress

January 10, 2011	#1
Jeepdog Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Punta Gorda Posts: 10	Squash Bugs I have what looks like squash bugs on my tomato plants. I have about 30 tomato plants growing right now and I live in SW Florida. I have seen these bugs periodically throughout the garden and I handpick as I see them. I have noticed though, that on one particular plant and, on one particular tomato cluster, they seem to be having a meeting. There are about 15 on this one tomato. I have sprayed with BT until the plant is dripping and they disperse and come right back. I have tried to handpick, but they are to fast for me to get them all. I get what I can. Go away, come back 10 min later and they are back... Must be some classroom instruction going on there. Any ideas? Even though I handpick some, when they disappear and come back, it seems the same numbers arrive. It is almost like they have a set number that must be present and if I destroy some by handpicking, they call in the reserves to fill in the vacancies. Really weird. I am almost positive they are squash bugs! Please help! As I said, I see the bug periodically throughout the garden and handpick and destroy as I find them, but this one tomato plant/cluster meeting place is really weird. Wondering if they are planning an attack of the entire garden...

January 13, 2011	#11
MikeInCypress Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Cypress, TX Posts: 963	Type in Leaf Footed Bug in Google. I'll bet what you find is what you have. They are the bane of my gardening. Neem works a little. Pyrethrin sprays work but unless you get the eggs or the nymphs (the thinner red bugs that congregate) you will have them back within a week. Someone said they use the shop vac to vacuum them up and that is what I am going to try this year. Suck up a little water so the dang bugs don't fly away when I empty the container. MikeInCypress __________________ "Growing older, not up"

January 10, 2011	#2
stormymater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pleasure Island, NC 8a Posts: 1,162	Are you technologically advanced enough to take & then post a pic of them? (that would be a challenge for me though I have managed it) Seeing what these little buggers look like would help. BT (my favorite brand name around here is "Worm Whipper") works only on soft caterpillars, maybe larvae (dunno as I use it primarily for the hornworms - I think it works for fruitworms too). I use pyrethrins (& sometimes permethrin) for our other enemy - the leaf footed stink bug. I admit enjoying seeing them get the "thousand yard stare" & literally falling off the tomato vines. Good stuff in my book. FTR - the stink bugs literally shake off Sevin & scoot around to the other side of the plants & pepp out - taunting me. Not so with pyrethrins/permethrin. This stuff kills beneficials too so I am judicious with the application - both in amount & time of day. The bees head off but the stinkbugs stay all the time.

January 10, 2011	#3
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	Big brownish bugs with orange edges? I had squash bugs one year (on Ronde de Nice or Eight Ball or similar) summer squash. It was easy to find the eggs and get rid of those leaves. The reason you see clusters, I'm guessing, is because they're mating. All the time. I'd find those egg clusters every time I looked, which was every day or two. And it seems that if I missed a day, the next time there'd be all these adolescent squash bugs running around, getting ready to mate. I haven't grown those squash varieties since then and haven't seen a squash bug since, either. One thing I've noticed when I get pests is that they often cluster on the weakest plant and leave the rest alone. It's especially pronounced on brassicas (aphids). So when I'd plant a 6-pack, typically one plant was the pest magnet (and 2 plants lasted 3-4 years or more). I'd find it harder to sacrifice a tomato plant if it was the only one I had of that variety, but maybe you can sequester that plant (by encasing it in row cover?) so that they don't spread to other plants.

January 11, 2011	#8
roper2008 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Virginia Bch, VA (7b) Posts: 1,337	Even without a picture, I'm guessing stink bugs. They like my tomatoes and peppers.

January 13, 2011	#10
RinTinTin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Seattle Posts: 581	Their name alone is their destiny: SQUASH BUGS.