Here in New Mexico, squash bugs are a real problem. Here are a few things we do to deal with them:
1. plant squash forms that are resistant to the bugs (Yellow Squash, Butternut, Royal Acorn for example). Check with your local Extension Service for a complete list. 2. plant squash as a Fall crop. The squash bug cycle is early to mid-season here and if you plant later in the summer, you can miss them altogether. 3. If you get an infestation, you need to kill as many as you can by hand as soon as you see them. Make sure you get the eggs, too. I also heard of placing a wooden board or similar near the plants, flat on the ground. Many of the bugs will congregate under these at night and you can then go out in early morning and kill them. Act quickly, squash bugs can devastate a plant in a very short time. 4. You can sprinkle wood ash (either from your fireplace or purchased at a local garden supply) around the base of mature plants and this seems to be a good deterrent. Do not do this for young plants, though, as the change in composition of the soil with damage the plants. Someone mentioned that you want to make sure that this isn't a stink bug infestation. Squash bugs and stink bugs are related and, to my eye anyway, I have a hard time telling them apart. I wonder, then, if some of these strategies (like the wood ash) might not apply to either scenario. I think there are also some complimentary plants like marigolds that deter squash bugs also, but I don't know what they are (again, the Extension Service should be able to tell you). Good Luck Wade Patterson Wells Park/Sawmill Neighborhood Gardens Albuquerque, New Mexico _______________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [email protected] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: http://list.communitygarden.org/mailman/listinfo/community_garden_list.communitygarden.org
