How large were these yellow with black markings bugs? Cucumber beetles and corn root worm beetles are yellow and blackish and fairly small.....and cuke beetles are bad for cantaloupe.

Stink bugs [squash bugs] can be killed by stepping on them or sqeezing them [boy! the stink].

Check out these pics.
Stink Bug

Squash Bug

Harlequin Bug

Your description sounds like the Harlequin. (Better picture if you scroll down the page of the stink bug link.)

Organic controls are egg/nymph search and destroy missions ;) (note the pics of both above) and Neem or Bacillus thuringiensis, better known as Bt.

Chemical control is your choice. ;)

Dave

It's the HARLEQUIN BUG! Thanks for the pic Dave.

I had figured it was a stink bug based on the shape and a google search for stink bug.

I guess it's time for me to find some BT.

i had those bugs last year, either the brown stink bug or the soldier bug, one eats the plant the other eats bugs, how the heck can you tell which is which they look almost identical... the ones i had (and i even saw two this year) cowered around the very base of the plant using the branches and trunk as cover when it saw me. i found them on my pumpkin and zucchinis. this year i found my first one in my greenhouse in a hanging potted cherry tomato.... any idea if this was a beneficial bug i killed just by what i described??? thanks. sarah

Hi Sarah - Many people confuse the stink bug with the squash bug but they are different pests and the soldier, as you rightly point out, is a good guy, and also different in appearance. Soldier Bug

Note the spines sticking out from the shoulders. When you compare them to the pics linked above you'll see that they don't look anything like squash bugs and that stink bugs don't have the spines plus the soldier's body is wider.

BUT I think the easiest way to tell the difference is their behavior. Both stink bugs and squash bugs tend to travel in groups and are defensive. They will cower and run if disturbed. But the soldier is a loner and is very assertive. He plants those legs and will stare you down until he finally decides he'd best move on and then he just slowly wanders off like it was all his idea in the first place. ;)

So it is always best to ID for sure before you kill.

Dave

...I guess it's time for me to find some BT.

Well, (Bt) Bacillus thuringiensis isn't necessarily effective for Harlequin Bugs. What you'll want to do is find permethrin, esfenvalerate, or endosulfan (Thiodan).

If you prefer organic practices, handpick bugs or their eggs. Eliminate groundcovers or weedy areas (especially mustards) in early spring before populations build up. Destroy old cole crop plants and mustards because they provide breeding areas.

thanks dave, i still think they look so much alike! but knowing that the soldier is a loner helps, which both that i found this year were.... last year there were so many of them, but i still think they looked alike, well, i just hope i don't have too many more to worry about identifying this year. happy gardening... sarah