Squash Pests
Every spring there are insects just waiting to attack your squash plants. UT Extension Entomologist Dr. Frank Hale talks about the most common pests of squash.
Cucumber beetles feed on the leaves of squash. They can skeletonize the leaves. Frank recommends using floating row covers to keep the bugs off the plants for as long as possible.
Adult squash bugs overwinter in debris around the garden and find and lay eggs on squash in the spring. He recommends laying down boards around your garden in the fall. In the early spring lift them up and you will find the squash bugs hiding underneath; just dispose of them.
Squash bug adults will lay small groups of bronze colored eggs which hatch into nymphs which grow to adults. You can crush or remove the eggs to help control them.
Another squash pest is the squash vine borer. It is the larva of a clearwing moth. The adult lays eggs on the stem of the plant and the larvae burrow into the vine stalk to feed. This kills the plant.
Frank recommends using floating row covers to keep these insects away from the plants for as long as possible. You will eventually need to take them off because the bees need to have access to the flowers to pollinate them.
If you want to use insecticides, he suggests using imidacloprid. This will kill the insects feeding on the plant but not the insects that land on the plant.
Related Videos:
Organic Control of Squash Bugs
Squash Vine Borer
Related Resources:
Squash Bugs and Squash Vine Borer
Cucumber, Squash, Melon and Other Cucurbit Insects and Pests
Cucumber beetles feed on the leaves of squash. They can skeletonize the leaves. Frank recommends using floating row covers to keep the bugs off the plants for as long as possible.
Adult squash bugs overwinter in debris around the garden and find and lay eggs on squash in the spring. He recommends laying down boards around your garden in the fall. In the early spring lift them up and you will find the squash bugs hiding underneath; just dispose of them.
Squash bug adults will lay small groups of bronze colored eggs which hatch into nymphs which grow to adults. You can crush or remove the eggs to help control them.
Another squash pest is the squash vine borer. It is the larva of a clearwing moth. The adult lays eggs on the stem of the plant and the larvae burrow into the vine stalk to feed. This kills the plant.
Frank recommends using floating row covers to keep these insects away from the plants for as long as possible. You will eventually need to take them off because the bees need to have access to the flowers to pollinate them.
If you want to use insecticides, he suggests using imidacloprid. This will kill the insects feeding on the plant but not the insects that land on the plant.
Related Videos:
Organic Control of Squash Bugs
Squash Vine Borer
Related Resources:
Squash Bugs and Squash Vine Borer
Cucumber, Squash, Melon and Other Cucurbit Insects and Pests