How to Grow Summer Squash Without Squash Bugs
Squash bugs suck the life out of squash plants, and will kill the plants if they are not controlled. In addition to their usual damage, squash bugs can transmit a disease called Yellow Vine Decline, according to the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. It is more effective to prevent squash bugs than control them after they already have colonized the vegetable garden. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Remove all yard debris from your garden before planting squash. Leaves, rocks or other debris can house squash bugs at various stages of development--they are more likely to survive the winter if they have debris to live beneath. Keep the area clean of debris all year long.
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Plant catnip or nasturtium all around your summer squash. These plants deter the squash bug, according to GH Organics. If you don't want to plant these directly in the garden, you can plant them in pots and place these around the periphery of your squash garden.
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Check squash plants for bugs every time you water. The earlier you detect squash bugs, the easier it is to kill them (by squishing them or spraying them with pesticide). According to the University of Massachusetts Extension, as squash bugs mature, they develop a hard exoskeleton--this makes them more difficult to kill.
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Spray infested squash plants with an insecticide labeled for use in your area against these bugs (legal sprays may vary from state to state--check the pesticide label as it should list insects it is affective against).
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Place a board on the ground a few feet away from the plants and check beneath the boards each morning, advises the University of Massachusetts Extension. Kill any squash bugs you find there by spraying them with pesticide or crushing them.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit squash image by cherie from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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My garden seems to be squash bug central with a convention scheduled every July and August....I have to smile as I read the suggestions for destroying the beasties.....I've tried them all! If I had only one or two plants, was retired and could meticulously examine each plant morning and evening, I might win, but such is not the case......the 50 ft rows of yellow and zucs are long past individual contact.....what does she do with all that squash, you might ask......family and friends......so I needed a better "mouse/squash trap".....along comes the commercial product "Pyganic" recommended to me via a truck farmer in New Hampshire.....no commercial plugging here, just the facts.....believe me I hve tried all and I do mean all the organic methods of eradication, to no effect.....by early Auguest/September my plants were done and the bugs were in mass......HOWEVER, for the first time ever (been gardening in this spot for about 35 years) last years squash crop was everything I've ever dreamed of......the heat was unbearable here in the Ozarks, but I watered with a pond resource and had an abundance of squash........I have finally won......and will continue on the same Pyganic program this year.......available on line....good luc...happy gardening AJW.
