have you tried the pests and diseases forum?

Here is a link that might be useful: Pests and diseases

Sounds like squash bugs. The little gray bugs are their nymphs. Water the plants from overhead and vacuum them with a hand vac, or hand-pick. They will come up to the tops of the plants when they are wet, and are easy to get to. The nymphs are harder to spot and tend to stay at the base of the plants. Dump in soapy water to kill. (I'm assuming you want to use organic controls).
Mrs H

I'D LIKE TO KNOW ANY suggestions for preventing thier return next year? I use notill methods. I have been using insecticidal soap on them this season but don't want them coming back.

There's no preventative methods that I know of. When we bought this place twenty years ago, there had probably been no farming or gardening here for twenty years prior to that. The first year I planted zucchini, there were squash bugs. There are no gardeners besides myself that I can see from here. If you plant, they will come :)
Mrs H