What works for Squash bugs?

[Goodloe]

Originally Posted by imp

Wow, will have to try that, Zeedman, sounds like if it works, I won't have to worry about timing for Sevin!

Yep, it works. I've been using a similar formula for years. It's absolutely devastating on wasps, horseflies, and stinkbugs.

Jon

[tarpalsfan]

squash bugs and cucumber beetles wreck havoc here. I saved your recipe for 'bad bug' soap! I will try it this summer!

[kath]

Thanks, Zeedman! Definitely going to give your bug spray a try this year!

kath

[Rootwad]

I sprinkle sevin dust at the base of the stem only.

[creeker]

Last year I used a diatomaceous earth (DE) suspension with some permethrin mixed in sprayed at the base of the squash plants and it seemed fairly effective, not 100% in ridding or at least cutting way back on squash bugs. It helped then, may not help this year, time will tell. Also, I discovered some Japanese beetles in my pear trees and sprayed them with the same treatment. The flew away like they were under machine gun attack and never returned.

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by Zeedman

If you don't like poisons or squishing, squash bugs are very vulnerable to soap spray in all stages. In a one-quart spray bottle, I use:
1 cup rubbing alcohol;
1 tsp liquid soap;
1 tbs cooking oil;
1 tbs syrup (maple or corn syrup);
and fill the remainder with water.
Add the ingredients in the order listed; the alcohol prevents the soap from foaming, and the soap emulsifies the cooking oil. Add water to 1/2 full initially, shake vigorously until the oil & syrup have completely dissolved, then add water to fill & shake gently. The soap can be any mild soap, I recommend Safers, baby shampoo, or Dawn.

this works fabulously but put it in one of those little pump up 1/2 gallon (or even a 1 qt one if you can find one.) pressure sprayer. this will make it much easier to target and spray without disturbing the bugs to drop to the ground and hide.

[brownrexx]

I wonder what is the purpose of the corn syrup in this mix?

[saltmarsh]

It acts as a sticker, so it doesn't wash off easily when it dries. Claud

[4season]

A friend said that interplanting daikons in the winter squash keeps the squash bugs away. For the last two years I have planted daikons buckwheat crimson clover zinnias and whatever along with the squash and have very little trouble with the bugs.

[Raiquee]

4seasons- that's interesting as I have a HUGE diacon patch that butts up with my squash patch and nope! One of my worst years!

I make sure to pull plants and burn them, then I burn the soil (think flame weeding). Get's rid of leaf litter that they like to hide in, but also kills any bugs in the soil that I can't see easily. (I do this all together, so pull plants and burn them, and any bugs that have fallen off get torched). We then till and re-flame to get any fallen eggs, etc.

I'm not sure what normal egg laying cycle is, but I found them on my squash plants early July and there are still eggs out there today. I've flown the white flag for this year, but next year i'm going to fight back harder.

I had a good run with potato beetles too, and I feel like I won that fight this year! (Yay!)

[kevinrs]

At my sister's house, I think I'm giving up on squash. Small yards, and someone close must be hosting them, because I was seeing the bugs before I even planted anything. We didn't get any squash picked there, even the watermelons died before the melons were ready. I did get cucumbers though.

At my parent's house 7 miles away, where yards are bigger, I haven't seen any squash bugs at all. The pumpkins wilted and died, possibly due to the heat, a single zucchini plant has produced a bunch of zucchini, and is now covering about 10 feet in diameter. The Tromba d'Albenga has been slow, I'd gotten 1 small one that something had started eating a couple months ago, and now finally I've found a couple of large ones on the plant. The Tromba and winter squash are still wilting during the day but surviving.

[b54red]

It seems that some on this thread are mixed up between squash bugs and Squash Vine Borers. Squash bugs are very easy to kill with a Permethrin and Dawn dish soap spray as long as you hit the bugs with it. When I am watering or fertilizing with liquid fertilizers early in the morning the squash bugs will start moving and crawling on the mulch when I am wetting it down. I just spray them when I see them. If they are really bad I will spray the whole plant late in the evening and make sure to get the mulch also. I also do a careful search and destroy every two weeks on the eggs but I always miss some. If you can find the juveniles shortly after hatching they are really easy to kill since they herd together for a few days and are very susceptible to the Permethrin and soap spray.

For SVBs I have found a solution using Sevin that is almost 100% effective but it takes being conscientious in the way it is applied. You need some form of small duster with Sevin dust in it. Apply the dust to just the base of the stem and the soil or mulch right around the base. This needs to be applied after every hard rain or good watering. As the plant gets larger I will apply it further up the stem. This way the Sevin doesn't come into contact with the fruit or blossoms but I still like to do it in the evening just in case the dust were to drift a little. I haven't had a plant get SVB for the last half dozen years as long as I keep them dusted.

I just applied a spray of Sevin to almost everything in my garden this week. This is the first time I have used it like this in a long long time but I was being overwhelmed with large grasshoppers and foliage worms. The grasshoppers were defoliating my large okra plants and my citrus plants that are in containers at the edge of the garden. There were hundreds of them and they were sure hungry. I have never seen those little foliage worms so bad as the past few weeks. I tried using BT twice to no avail. The second time I used it double strength only to find the worms by the millions on my okra, peppers, tomatoes, beans, and fall cucumbers. I did the Sevin spraying two days ago just before dark. I was out this morning fertilizing my cucumbers, peppers and beans. While out there I did a thorough check for worms and grasshoppers and didn't see a single one and the plants look so much better. It really perked them up not having those worms eating them up and causing them to lose so much moisture in the intense heat we have been having lately. I didn't see any diminishing of the bee population which was a relief.

That Sevin may be a bit strong but when the chips are down and chewing insects are destroying your garden I haven't seen anything else I would even consider putting on food crops that comes close to being that effective.

Bill

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by RobinB

We released Preying Mantis in the yard last year and I didn't see stink bugs or squash bugs. I plan to do it again. I have seeds for multiple types and I like Joseph's approach. I did order some Partenon squash from Johnny's and it is Parthenocarpic, so theoretically, I could cover it with lightweight row cover from day one... or grow it in the greenhouse only. I may try multiple approaches and see what works. I realize that I may get lucky and have too much which is a problem I haven't had in about 8-9 years!

I’m going to have to try this! What time of year did you release? Did you start with egg casings?

[Rootwad]

I feed Hummers therefore I don't want Preying Mantis around here. found one on my feeder once took him for a 5 mile ride.

[Nan_PA_6b]

? what do preying mantis do to hummingbirds?