Actually what the ants are doing is pretty common, they help "farm" the pests so they(the ants) have something to eat. Okra is a hibiscus relative so it suffers from the same pests. It kind looks like your ants are farming some scale, as I can see a little bit of white under the ants.

Organically you can stick with your soap and water routine or you can brew yourself some coffee grounds and water and spray it on the plants. Coffee is proving to be very effective against scale. Whatever route you choose, persistence is your best way to go. Spray them every couple of days until you are positive it's gone. You have to break the lifecycle.

Your squash has powdery mildew, which you'll find is extremely common in humid Florida. Your best course of action in the future is to try and plant some more resistant varieties. In the meantime, you can try spraying them with baking soda/water or milk/water or heck combine the two. Powdery mildew is actually a fungus, so you can also look for a fungicide that may help as well.

For the Okra with the ants, I had a similar problem with ants farming aphids on my Okra and they would also chew on the pods as well. I simply put some petroleum jelly around the stem of the plant, the ants don't like to cross anything gewy like that. You might have to repeat the process every few weeks as the jelly wears away. There is also a product called tree tanglefoot that can be used the same way but it is really sticky and hard to wash off your hands. Anyway, I did the petroleum jelly thing on my okra last year and managed to get some good pods. This year I have not bothered with the petroleum jelly and there are still lots of ants working the okra but I'm still managing to get plenty of good pods. Just be careful as you pick so you don't get bit by the ants.

As to the squash, the powdery mildew is very common among all plants of that family (cucumbers, pumpkins, zuchini, mellons etc.) I have actually tried out the milk/water to battle it but found out that the baking soda or the milk water cures are actually meant against downy mildew which will be stopped by the change in pH. For help against the powdery mildew, you would be better off spraying with seaweed extract (something like Maxicrop perhaps) because powdery mildew tends to attack potassium deficient plants.

I have to admit that this summer/fall I have had a horrible time with all plants in that family and not gotten more than a couple cucumbers and no squash. I'm dealing with leaf footed bugs, stink bugs, squash bugs, squash vine borers, and lots of little green caterpillars that eat the leaves off the seedlings. I'm about to give up on them and try for an early crop in the spring when hopefully there won't be so many pests. (I've not sprayed anything this summer/fall and I'm not really planning to.)

Spraying with neem oil may help some for either of your problems since it is an organic way to battle scale and it is supposed to help some against powdery mildew.

Here is a link that might be useful: TCLynx

I had the same problem with my okra. The ants eat the honeydew that the aphids produce and they protect the aphids from pests. I used neem and squishing the aphids to get rid of them and that worked. You have to take care of them fast because they can destroy the plant. I am also getting powdery mildew on my squash and I am using neem for that as well. So far it hasn't cleared it up but it hasn't progressed either. I also read that a diluted solution of hydrogen peroxide works on fungus and such but I can't speak for that one myself since I haven't tried it.

A spray of BT - Bacillus Thurengensis - works well against caterpillars and other insects . An oil spray of Ultra fine horticultural oil works well against many insects and diseases .
Squash is a member of the curcurbit family . These vegetables are all highly susceptible to fungus and other diseases . With this group , it is very important to purchase fresh , tested , disease resistant seeds .
Unfortunately , the organic sprays work only on contact and control what ever is attacking your plants at that moment .
The article link below is an excellent general reference guide . Try searching in the home site of this link for organic answers to the ant problem and let us know what you learn so we can learn too .

Here is a link that might be useful: Recommendations for Fungicide and Bactericide Usage

I just had the same problem with Ghost Ants on my Okra, they really love Okra. I read on the board and tried a few things, something did work and I did it all at once.

This is what I through in the pot (Okra is in container)

1. Squirt Aphids off the plant with hose. (do first)
2. Corn Meal (good coverage around plant)
3. Chili Powder (Did not have chili pepper, but powder has it) (sprinkle around plant)
4. Cinnamon (sprinkle around plant)
5. Vegetable oil where I though a mound might be
6. Coffee grounds.

They were gone in about two days. I do not know if they moved on or if I killed them. I read later that Ghost Ants are not susceptible to corn meal as it is two big for them to carry away.

See if you can identify the ant. Ghost Ants and Aphids are as best of friends as they come. Get rid of the ants, you get rid of the aphids. I have gone through this a few times with Okra. This light battle had the most success.

Thank you; I have a lot of ideas now. I am learning much by trial & error. The ants that I have are fire ants, so it really is difficult to pick the okra!

Where would you suggest purchasing seeds of squash varieties that are resistant to fungus? I have just been buying seeds from the Lowes & Home Depot, because the nurseries that I've been to specialize in flowers, not vegetables. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated, and I thank you for all of the advice and suggestions!

Cheers!
Heather W

I'm still trying to grow squash, and haven't succeeded yet. The thing I'm trying this year is to plant seeds that I saved from organic squash grown locally. I bought squash from farmers markets last winter for this express purpose, after seeds I planted from a cantelope from the farmer's market were just unkillable, and gave nice fruit. My theory is, if they can do it organically somewhere near my house, then it grows in this zone without a lot of pesticides or fertilizers. I know, the organic farmers work hard with compost and other stuff... but they also must have tested plant varieties for the best luck here. and I get a squash to eat in the deal.

So I'm hopeful about my delicata this year.

Susannah

I grew squash late spring in a container and brutalized the plant. It recieved little care, occasional water (I watered it when it was drooping to the ground) and it grew great. It was actually annoying, it was the plant I wanted least (just grew it for fun do not even like it) and it grew the best!

I think it was the spot. Not many other plants around it allowing for and in a breezy location (I assume drying the leaves and not leaving much for fungus). It lazily caught the afternoon sun. I still think about that squash plant. I am going to try again same spot this year this time I will take better care.

I never ate the fruit off of the plant though and the fruit were not impressive as you may imagine, just small.