I found some stuff on Google called mr. malcolm's squash bug eliminator that kills eggs and all the rest of them. I've tried everything else in the past but this stuff works. I tried neem oil but it left a taste after using it for a while. Little devils are persistent. There are other pesticides out there but I'm afraid to eat thee veggies.

luvmygardn: Hi, just to let you know I used Neem Oil on both silverleaf-whitefly and the 2-spot spider mite. It didn't work on either of them.

I use glue traps and my little garden helpers, Guineas! They eat all my pest and do not scratch up the garden like chickens.

What about planting zucchini, etc in containers instead of directly in the garden? Does that prevent squash bugs?

No it won't, They will be found just as easily in containers.

I planted two zucchinis in containers on my deck, and the squash bugs found them. They've been awful!

I am able to control cucumber beetles with a mixture of clove oil and red dye #28 (found in dental disclosing tablets), but nothing I know controls squash bugs.

I grow zucchinis in containers last couple of years. I've lost some of them to squash bugs and vine borers.

Best way to control them, I've found:
1. fill a cup with soapy water
2. grab a spoon
3. Go out to the yard and spray the vines with water, squash bugs will flee to higher ground.
4. hold spoon upside down and flick the squash bugs into soapy water with the handle.

The squash bugs will drown. The soap in the water breaks the surface tension so that the bugs sink below the water level and die. Soap might also help facilitate the drowning too, but it works very well.

If you don't catch them by early July, you're going to have lots of baby squash bugs that will probably wipe out your plant.

Also, are you rotating your plants each year? Planting in the same spot not only depletes the nutrients in the soil (weaker plants) but the bugs typically lay eggs that will be in the soil and know where to come back next year.

Nasturtium, mint, and radishes are also good companion plants for squash. Nasturtium will draw the squash bugs to it instead of squash plants (trap crop). I believe radishes and mint will deter squash bugs.

Squash bugs were my most hated bug until I planted fruit trees this year (cherry & apple trees). Now it's Japanese beetles!

A year ago last fall I had a lot of squash bugs on squash and pumpkins. I made a concerted effort to kill every one of them at harvest time. At that time the remaining bugs will be on the remaining greenry and fruits. So stomp every one of them out by turning over leaves and fruits... and if you have a neighbor, try to do those too.

Did that work?...well I had almost none of the critters last year.

I just had my entire garden of pumpkins destroyed by squash bugs. This is the first time in my life I ever tried to plant anything. I read on this site that if I used Castille soap cut up in water, it would kill the adults on contact. I sprayed and sprayed for days, killing all the adults I could and destroying as many eggs. Now all the plants are dead. Why does everyone keep saying to destroy them so you don't have them next year. I didn't have any last year. I had no garden. They came from no where, so why would it matter if you destroy them? they will just come from somewhere else! IS THERE ANY WAY TO KILL THEM AT ALL? I may have one or two plants still alive?

Squash bugs can fly long distances to find your tasty garden. I do not use soap as a spray, since it also hurts the plants. It does work well to drown them in.

The only real solution I've found for them is to a) plant more than you need and b) daily quick bug hunts.

There is a sneaky way to use rotenone without spraying it, which I don't recommend. You can plant jicama which has a natural concentration of rotenone as part of its chemistry. Only the root and immature pods are edible. Almost all bugs avoid it but it takes a lot of room. It's doubtful you will be able to harvest the jicama root unless you are pretty much frost free year round but it should last long enough to give you some seed for next year. It also has some very pretty flowers.

I had my first garden last year. SB devoured my squash before moving on to my cucumbers. My neighbor said to squash them and leave the remains on the leaf, because they won't eat each other. However, I do not like to kill them. Does anyone know of any other bugs one may purchase, maybe natural predators of the squash bugs?

An old timer told me to sprinkle a little sulfur in the ground where I plant my squash seed and the borer will not bother it. It works!

Squash bugs are a terrific pain. One year, they decimated a 125 foot row of squash. There are a few things you can do - we use a combination of insecticidal spray, diatomaceous earth, Neem oil, old fashioned squishing and trap plants. I wrote about it in the link I added here.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Kill Squash Bugs Organically

I never have stink bug problems anymore since I started growing my squash up on a trellis. The bugs are so much more exposed so they are easy pickings for other insects and birds. Also using grass mulch encourages spiders which eat stink bugs.

I have little problem with squash bugs, maybe this organic gardening makes plants stronger.
I hand pick the bugs & smash the eggs between my fingers as I weed the few weeds that find a crack in the mulch.
When the summer heat gets my summer squash, the SB move to my tomatoes & I pick them with the tomato horn worm.
I have less every year.
kept, THANKS for the sulfur trick.

Here's one a friend told me: pick off the squash bugs, mash them or put in an old blender, put water on them & let stand for 2 or 3 days, strain off the liquid & use it as a spray on the squash. Haven't tried it but was told it would work. I'm presently using Neem oil.

Thank you one and all for all the information....It's still a rotten situation to deal with. We just mixed up garlic, pepper and soap for the second round. (First round was removing eggs, physically.... We are talking of those pretty gold shiny dots that are laid mostly on the underside of the leaves in perfect symetry??) I have the powder from Garden Naturals, but am hesitating as I dislike resorting to chemicals..... so much unknown.

Any more advice???

was trying to find an organic/safe way to rid myself of the SB I did,used a spray of soapy water,mutch to my chagrin the spray did major damage to the plants...from now on I will stick to the bucket of soap water method (no spray) lesson learned :(

I also use neem oil though , knock on wood, less than I have in the past 2 years. I have also been spraying the plants with a blast of water on the stems and undersides of leaves to hopefully knock the bugs on the plants and give pest a "hostile" environment. I do this in the morning, and by mid morning I have a few birds come in and eat whats on the ground. I also have some frogs that take care of pest in the night time hours.

Quite an old post with recent opinions re- squash bugs...
I may have even posted this earlier on this posting as I didn't read ALL of the responses, but this method has worked well for me the past 2-3 years here zone 7 Albuquerque: I plant the squash (zucchini) seed after June 1 as I had read somewhere the bugs lay their eggs mostly before that date. Though I have zucchini later but long after my neighbors here, I have had (cross my fingers!) no problem with those darn critters since I plant later! Any one else tried this? Local Ag. Extension people here when told of it said it may have some valid reasoning to it.

I planted later than most but unfortunately before june 1st. My melons are now being eaten, so I was going to go pick up some more EcoSmart Organic insect killer from Walmart. We used it before the plants were established to try to kill bugs eating our cucumbers and peppers but unfortunately the plants were too young to tolerate it. Hopefully the thriving melons will tolerate it better. We are going to tackle them tomorrow, I will have to update with results.

I am working on testing a "sticky trap" for squash bugs. So far, testing on this is going fairly well. I am hopeful to get the design perfected this year, but it may take some time next year. Hopefully, if everything goes well, it will be ready to market by sometime next year or at least by 2013. :)

Near the end of the season the remaining bugs will be amassing on the remaining fruits and green leaves. This is your opportunity to rid them almost entirely....for years. Stomp on them totally.

Is it true that the SBs (or SoBs, as I call them when I see them) will also live in your compost pile? denno above mentioned this, and I think I saw some when I was turning my pile yesterday.

If so, what does one do about it? Incinerate your compost pile?

My compost bin has some resident spiders, but I haven't seen any SB's in there. Might there be a connection?

My green bean plants are being destroyed by squash bugs, but many still have full grown beans on them-- are they safe to eat?

well this is the first that I have had squash bugs, went out and hand picked them and threw them in a bucket of soapy water, so many of them, so I decided to try DE last night...went out this morning just 2 adults, no other sign of them, so far only one plant effected, I'm still checking and keeping an eye out on them. Hope this helps. :)

Soap and water, you can pick them off and drop them in a bowl of soapy water, Or put it in a spray bottle and give "em a squirt. One squirt is all it takes.
Garlic oil, lemon oil work too.
** lay an old board in your garden near the squash plant. Squash bugs hide underneath the board. Early in the morning, lift the board and drop the collected bugs into a bowl of soapy water.

SW Ohio had spring-like weather this winter. The buggers didn't die over the winter.

Between the squash bugs, squash beetles (spotted type) and corn maggots that look like flies in adulthood, I was out there several times a day trying to be organic: Brushing the eggs off leaves and killing, picking off bugs and killing, spraying insecticidal soap, spraying garlic tea and sprinkling flour that was supposed to clog the digestive system of nymphs.

Last week, the nymphs were about 5 per inch per leaf. They were also jumping into my shoes. I cried "Uncle!" Sevin was used. They're all gone now, but my cucumbers were hit by "yellow vine", a virus the buggers carry. No cure for that.

Sorry, but next year Sevin will be applied to the soil, young squash and cukes early -- before the blossoms, and before the problem starts.

The rest of my beds can be organic.

I found that dishwashing liquid mixed with water is very effective. I used Dawn dishwashing liquid and mixed it with water in my hand sprayer using about the amount I would use to wash dishes. It doesn't affect the eggs but will kill the squash bug within a couple of minutes if you spray it directly on the bug.

If Dawn Dishwashing Detergent does kill any insect that fast think what it could do to you. Dawn is made from non renewable reosurces and is, therefore, not an acceptable organic product.

what is the procedure for using diatomaceous earth around/on squash/zucc/cukes? do you dust the plant, the ground, both? HELP!!!!!
also, i'm getting neem oil today, can i use them both together?

I planted dill next to my squash plants...I have had some SB's but not too many to control by hand (so far). I think I may try to place dill cuttings around the base of the plants. Dill has a very strong scent (yummy) so perhaps that will help.

Dill and Lemon Balm

Squash bugs are repelled by dill and lemon balm. Dill also deters aphids and spider mites to a certain degree. (Dill also attracts tomato horn worm and should not be planted as a companion to tomatoes). Lemon balm repels many other garden pests as well. (Crushed leaves, rubbed onto the skin, repel mosquitoes).

Here is a link that might be useful: Flowers That Repel Garden Pests

i have dill, lemon balm, oregano, cat mint and nasturtiums all intermingled w/ my squash, zucc and cucumbers... and if they did help, i shudder to think how many squash bugs and cuc beetles would have been in my raised beds! i spend hours per day out there w/ a rubber glove on, squishing bugs, eggs, flicking them into soapy water... have neemed and diatomaceous earthed continuously... it has been ridiculously rainy in this part of ga this spring/summer, so i'm sure all that i have put on has been quickly washed off. i planted 3 zucc and 3 yellow squash... i got maybe 10 zucc and 3 or 4 squash off... the plants are done. i'm going to leave them in the ground as a trap crop to keep the sb and cbs from moving to my beautiful cucs, which i have trained up a cattle panel.
i totally feel ya, DMallaun. i'm tempted to 7 the hell outta them... and i probably would have, but i've seen some beautiful spiders making webs on the plants and a nymph Wheel Bug, which stayed my hand!!

I kept waiting for the squash bugs to hit and they finally came this week. Neem oil mixed with water in a bottle sprayer did the trick, disoriented them, they stalled in their tracks and then died, couldn't be happier...boy what a chore though.

If the Neem Oil product you purchase is a concentrate and the label gives instructions to dilute with water, as well as how much, that is okay, but if the product is already mixed adding more water may well dilute it to not effective amounts. Always read the label on the product you buy before using it.
Squash bug adults overwinter in the soil, in garden debris, in "weedy" areas along the garden, some of the same places that predators overwinter, and that may include the compost pile although I have never seen any there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Organic control of squash pests

I have been so frustrated with these bugs that I decided this year I'm not growing zucchini, acorn or pumpkin squashes. I have had infestations the last couple of years and am tired of fighting them.
I have used both the soap & water mixture as well as neem oil mixture to some success but I just had enough.

I planted butternut squash which is supposed to be resistant to the squash bug, covered early on with row cover to give the plants a chance to get growing, and so far I have only found one bug and I squashed it. So far lots of fruit and leaves look good. I surrounded the plants with nasturtiums as this is supposed to help as well.

Then I got brave and planted a couple of seeds of 'Ronde de Nice', an heirloom zucchini I had left from last year at the end of June. They are now about to flower and I noticed a squash bug nymph yesterday. I couldn't find any others though. Oh well, if I get 1 or 2 zucchinis I will be happy.

I use a combo of neem and diatomaceous earth, and therefore don't see many squash bugs. They seem to be here and there sometimes-not a lot of them. I just kill them by hand when I do see them...

Oh, and I'm growing a delicious and decently productive heirloom zucchini called Tatume (Botanical Interests). Neither squash bugs nor vine borers bother it-very weird but awesome!

@Stellabee - I'm always looking for new varieties to try and 'Tahume' is now on my list for next year.

Thanks

We just found our crop infested with squash bugs. This being our first crop we were not familiar with these pests. After doing lots of research on them and seeing what we could do we chose to try something organic and we took the time to comb the plants first and find them. When we did we had a small bowl of water with a small amount of dish soap in it and placed the bug in the bowl (where they drowned). As for the eggs we used tape and pulled them off the leafs that way. However to our surprise those boogers were on both sides of the leaves. So we had to go over it again. Then we watered the plants and what we missed came to the top to dry. And we caught them as well and drowned them. We caught today 33 adults and some 400-500 eggs (no exaggeration). We will be doing this daily for the next couple weeks. Then we will be moving our crop next year to another area and take precautions from the beginning. Making sure to plant things around them that repel the SB. Good luck with these things.

We used catnip while the plants were still young. It seemed to have deterred them long enough to give us a pretty good season. There are some pics and a little more info on this link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Catnip & Squash Bugs

I am having infestation problems on my zucchini plants right now, but so far, it seems like the squash bugs don't like my white pattypan squash. Has anyone else noticed that they prefer some squash varieties over others? I guess I will go buy Neem oil and join the fight against them, but I hate using any chemicals in my garden.

The only organic control of squash bugs and other bugs that are on plants needing pollination, is hand picking or shop vac. Anything that will kill the bug will kill pollinators too.
Practices that help are rotation, covering until they flower, leaf inspection and very healthy plants.

I had squash bugs and vine borers every year and have such a small garden that rotation was no help. I grew tromboncino squash this year and love it. I haven't had any vine borers this year and very few squash bugs. the vines have grown up a 6 foot trellis and have had great production. I love that it grows vertical to preserve space in my small garden. The taste is not very different than the "normal" zucchini I used to grow.

i gave up on squash and zucchini after last year's battle. i spent HOURS, DAILY picking the squash bugs off, squishing the eggs and nymphs. i held them at bay for a while, but the vine borers finally got me. so i i gave up. i may try the tromboncino like jules8 did.

if you grow trombocino, build a sturdy trellis or use a chain link fence. about 5 seeds sprouted for me and in the photo I took about 2 weeks ago they are on the right.

In Florida the squash bugs and vine borers are busy bugs. I plant my zucchini early in January or February, in a self watering pot on wheels. I cover the soil with black plastic and use tin foil as a barrier on the vine. The bugs don't seem to like the foil on the stem. At night the zucchini get rolled into the garage. After it warms up in the morning, I roll them outside. My zucchini have produced quite a bit by the time the bugs wake up and find them. In the fall I use the pots and floating row covers to keep the bugs out. If the cold comes too early, I roll he pots back into the garage at night. I baby tomatoes in pots too. Lucky me to be in central florida. Who needs a greenhouse? My garage works just fine.

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Yep. Good stuff. It's good to know we can trust our chemical industries to look out for us.