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Here’s How:
For those of you who just need an answer asap! Here it is…start your gardening season with insect netting covering your squash/zucchini bed (details in post). This requires hand-pollination, but it was very effective at keeping the squash bugs and vine boars away for a good 2 months.
Next…get yourself a handheld vacuum. Any handheld vacuum will do. When the time comes to remove the insect netting, check every week for squash bug eggs and squish them. If you see any adult squash bugs, vacuum them up and either squish them…or…feed them to your chickens! 🙂
The Details
Fellow Gardeners, I cannot adequately convey to you through this screen how much I hate squash bugs! Ugh! Just thinking of them now gives me the shivers. I know some gardeners will flick those creepy little critters into a bucket of soapy water in order to get rid of them, but I just can’t stomach to be near them. I’m even sorry that I posted this picture of one! Ugh!
That’s one thing about gardening that has been tough for me….the amount of bugs…horribly ugly bugs that I must engage with in order to have a healthy, organic garden. Yes, I know I could seven-dust bomb my garden, but I REALLY don’t want to. Thus, I have been led by my own choices to find other ways to deal with invasive bugs that damage my crops.
So…let’s get into it. How can we control squash bugs so that we can have flourishing, healthy squash plants ? Or at least, how do we control squash bugs so that we can then contend with the squash vine boars? I have read many blogs and articles about this issue and I will tell you what I’ve tried, what I’m doing and how it’s all working.
I’m not gonna lie…I don’t have the 100% solution to a squash bug free existence….other than don’t plant squash. Ha! Buuut, I do have some seriously helpful suggestions for you.
Neem Oil
In previous years, I’ve tried spraying Neem oil on the adult squash bugs to no avail. I already had an infestation on my young zucchini plants by the time I was treating with Neem oil and other than making them scatter for a short time, it really proved un-useful. The Neem oil also does not impact the squash bug eggs.
Soapy Water
I mentioned earlier that many gardeners will inspect their squash plants daily and flick the adult squash bugs into a bucket of soapy water. This IS useful, but I just hate touching those bugs so much that I won’t do it. I have tried spraying the adult bugs with soapy water and that again….did not kill them, it just made them scatter for a short time. HOWEVER, I was able to spray some of the baby squash bugs that had just hatched with an essential oil based soap solution (thieves) and it did kill the baby bugs. However, the soapy water does nothing to the eggs.
Kayolin Clay
Generally speaking, I love the idea of using Kayolin Clay in an organic garden. It is purchased as a powder and mixed with water in a pressure sprayer. You just spray your plants down with it. As the clay dries it creates a barrier over the plant which gums up the mouth of the squash bugs and prevents them from doing series damage to the plants. I’ve seen this work well on apple and pear trees and other smooth surface fruits and vegetables. I gave it a try on my squash plants after I already had an infestation and it may have prolonged the life of my plants, but ultimately it did not control the problem enough to preserve the plants.
If I had applied it before I had a squash bug problem, it may have deterred the bugs from the start – I will have to try that in the future.
One thing to be mindful of with Kayolin Clay is that it must be re-applied after every rain. Where I am, in zone 8a, the dew is frequently heavy enough to wash the clay off after a day or two.
Insect Netting
This method involves setting up a barrier from the moment you plant those seeds in the ground that will physically prevent the bugs from getting to your plants. It is my newest method to try and it has largely proved useful! I set up this insect netting using these greenhouse hoops and it definitely prevented the bugs from getting to my plants.
ALL bugs! I found squash bugs on the outside of the netting trying to get in, as well as squash vine boars hovering over the surface of the net on a daily basis. And when I say ALL bugs….unfortunately pollinators too! Once the flowers started blooming, I went out every morning and hand pollinated the squash. My yield was so much better than previous years. I got 10 lbs. of zucchini and 3 lbs. of yellow squash before….yep, those awful squash bugs found a way in and I began seeing squash bug eggs on the leaves of my plants.
So, I removed the insect netting after 2 months. The good news is that the plants are mature and more resistant to the squash bugs than when they were young and tender.
Additionally, I don’t have to hand pollinate anymore! – which wasn’t a big deal – it was just another thing to think about. The cons are: that now I have to check my plants daily for squash bugs and squash bug eggs. I have been removing the leaves that contain squash bug eggs and crushing them under foot. I have tried scraping the eggs off but I always manage to damage the leaves during scraping.
But, so far…this method is tried and true! I am REALLY impressed at how well my mature squash plants are handling those predator bugs as well as continue to give me a beautiful yield!
Vacuums
Ya’ll I am giddy as I type this because I LOVE this trick! I got this idea from Anne of All Trades on Youtube. Basically, you just vacuum up those little critters and feed them to your chickens! This method is tried, true and effective! I have a floor vacuum that can be converted into a hand-held vacuum and I got my extension cord and went to town. I found and vacuumed up about 20 young squash bugs. It worked perfectly! The leaves were not damaged by the vacuum and now my squash bed is squash bug free!
IF you already have a car vacuum, or dust-buster type vacuum, give it a try yourself. Otherwise grab yourself one here.
Isn’t that awesome!?! I mean…for someone who doesn’t like to touch the bugs in my garden…this is a winner for sure!
Orange Peels and Other Things to Try
I recently read from a gardening forum that a long-time gardener has had success burying orange peels around the squash plants. – I am going to try this next! I’ll keep you updated.
Additionally, I have heard from one of my all time favorite youtube gardening channels -Roots and Refuge Farm, that Jess, succession plants a lot of extra squash. She starts at least 3 different garden beds over the course of the summer and once the squash bugs and vine boars destroy one bed, the next bed is about to start producing etc.
SUMMARY
Try insect netting! Especially if you have the flexibility in your schedule to hand pollinate every morning. I believe that if I had been able to securely attach the netting to my raised bed, then I could’ve gone all season without having to worry about squash bugs or vine boars! And when push comes to shove and you have to remove the bugs by hand, vacuum those suckers up and give your chickens a treat!
I will keep learning and trying and relating my experience here on this blog so you can learn too. If you have any other methods that you’ve tried and have worked, please comment below!
