What are folks doing about squash bugs? Housing down and squishing all climbers of clearly not working and when they set upon crops it is by the hundreds. There are no pheromone/lure traps commonly available. Soapy water works but I don’t want to make birds sick from eating dead bugs covered in soapy water. I would love to actually see squash, cucumbers, and gourds actually set fruit one day. I’m 0 for 3 the last three seasons.
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Squish them by hand, with gloves on (!) is what I do. I love mulch and research shows that Squash bugs do too, unfortunately. So they may overwinter & survive better under well mulched soil,
Seminole is a delicious and mostly squash bug resistant variety of winter squash. I don’t find squash bugs on the plants and they are a charismatic southern heirloom. I know CommonWealth Seed growers in Virginia are doing some good squash breeding.. not sure if they are looking for bug resistance or just downy mildew etc.
The best control for squash bugs is to create a barrier between them and your plants. Try using a row cover. The day you plant cover squash, cucumbers, etc. with a lightweight row cover. Keep the row cover on until the plant blooms and then remove. Then spray your plants with a hot pepper spray to deter them from visiting your flowers. This will extend the life of your plants by quite a bit!