I also found a strange egg on my squash plant today. It is a little larger than a squash bug egg, there is only one, and it is bright orange, not brown-orange like a squash bug egg. It seems to be made of wax or very thick gell-like stuff. Anyone know what it is?

This year, the squash bugs in my garden never got a toehold. If you don't want to bomb them with petrochemicals like me, you have to work a little harder. I have a 1 quart spray bottle that I put 1/8th of a bar of Kirk's Castile bar soap (most supermarkets have it) into the spray bottle. First, I chip the 1/8th bar into smaller chips, then let it stand overnight. Before spraying, shake the bottle well. I have used as much as 1/4th of a bar... this is the ticket if you want to kill the adult bugs immediately, on contact. The last thing an adult squash bug does before it dies when sprayed with soap is lethargic flapping of its wings. When you see this, you can mark your spray bottle with a dead squash bug symbol. Squash bugs are less apt to fly away when the air temperature is below 80F.

I adjust the sprayer to a medium spray (not a mist like hairspray, nor a narrow stream... inbetween those two). I mist the entire plant and while I am spraying the undersides of leaves, I look for the eggs. They almost always are in the 'vee' of the leaf veins where they meet the leaf stalk. Spraying the eggs just makes the soap manufacturer richer... don't bother. Cut the portion of the leaf with the eggs with a small knife and be sure to either crush them or remove them to a sealed container and put it in the trash. Sometimes, out of laziness, I poke a hole into the soil with my thumb and shove the egg colony in it and then fill the hole. Sometimes the eggs are laid in a sort of line, up the leaf stalk. In any case, they must be removed from the garden or destroyed.

You have to do this often. I do it twice per week. While you're down there, be sure to look for signs of squash vine borers. Where the vine emerges from the soil to about 3" above there, look for yellow-orangeish goop or 'sawdust' (properly called 'frass'). Gently scrape the orangeish frass away until you see a hole. Dig those things out... they will do more harm than a bunch of squash bugs. They are relatively small, with a white body and a black or brown head.

I am amazed that soapy water will kill squash bugs! If I decide to brave growing squash again, I will try it. I haven't seen that kind of soap, but I never looked for it, so I'll definitely see if I can find it.

We've had borers in the past, but none this year so far. I did have a cucumber beetle that killed a whole pumpkin vine before I could kill the beetle. It gave the vine a disease, and I had to pull the whole vine right away. That was my white pumpkin. Oh, well. At least they haven't gotten into the other curcurbits, thank God!

Thanks for the info!

Was thinking of trying the "topsy turvy" planting method (most often used for tomatoes) to see if the squash plant being away from the ground would help. I am planting most of my vegetables and herbs with this method. (5 gallon buckets, vegetables planted out the bottom of the suspended bucket, herbs, lettuce, etc. growing out the top of the bucket.) Does anyone think this could help with squash bugs? I will provide a fence or trellis for the squash to lay/vine across.

I am trying the "topsy turvy" planters for the first time this year and I planted zucchini, cucumbers and yellow squash in one and I have squash bugs! I came to this site looking for a way to get rid of them. Thanks for the info!

Dr Bronners makes a liquid castille oil soap... its organic n concentrated. often available at health food stores. a common garden bug tonic is pure (non-antibacterial) soap such as dove, mixed with olive oil n sprayed onto leaves. i was reading that sevin is supposed to kill the young, but not the adults... sigh. that probly means that my diatomateous earth probly wont work on them either. the lil boogers destroyed my gardens squash n cucumber crops... but i found that they died once they got into my green beans. r the green beans toxic to them as the nasturtium and petunias???

i dont know what squash bugs look like, but something has invaded one of my yellow squash plants- they are grey and some are brown, look like a beetle of sorts. any ideas

Photos:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1208.html

In-text links to photos:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74144.html

I think guineafowl would eat squash bugs, but I can't let them in because the chickens would wander in too and start eating everything else.

Even though...the Squash Bugs killed my vines this summer...I have added a new weapon to fight them. It might sound a little out there but...I used an old vacuum cleaner and emptied them into a bucket of soapy water to kill. My daughter actually suggested the use of the vacuum. There I was sucking up Squash Bugs out of the garden and the utility guy was wondering if I had lost it!!!LOL Good Luck...Battle on!!!

Hmmm, I have some Dr. Bronner's in the bathroom..... I'll have to go get it and try it. Does it work to 'repel' the squash bugs, too? Or just 'kill on contact?' I think i'll invest in some nasturtiums and/or petunias........

I found that dishwashing liquid mixed with water is very effective. I used Dawn dishwashing liquid and mixed it with water in my hand sprayer using about the amount I would use to wash dishes. It doesn't affect the eggs but will kill the squash bug within a couple of minutes if you spray it directly on the bug.

I've begun my battle with these pests this week. I take my needle nose pliers and a small Dixie cup of soapy (fill the bottom of the cup with dawn and fill half way with water) water out to the garden with me every night. I thought I could put everyone in the soapy water but I looked away from the cup for a second and the two squash bugs that I had JUST put in there were crawling out so note to self fairly concentrated dawn water doesnâÂÂt kill the adults very quickly.

I have transplanted some mint and marigolds by the pumpkins and melons since I have noticed them. I also mix a strong mix (1tbsp of each) of dr bronners liquid soap and neem oil and spray both sides of the leaves. On Lisa Bronners blog she talked about using a tbsp of peppermint soap in a spray bottle for pest control, I have lavender at the moment and that seems to be working pretty well for me.

Last year they took over and destroyed our garden so I am determined to destroy them this year!! So far IâÂÂm gaining on them, yesterday I only found 3 adults, a handful of nymphs, and maybe 2 egg clusters. I wonâÂÂt call it a win until IâÂÂve gone several weeks without seeing them.

So I finally gave in and tried Sevin spray to get rid of cucumber bugs and squash bugs. It seems to have worked the first day because I found dead ones on the plants. Does it still work when its dry? How many times do I need to do this? I don't want to kill bees!

This is working great for me, glue traps around the base of the plants , I don't want to use the dust or sprays since the squash is being harvested daily. Once I catch a bug on one trap I guess the others are attracted to it , I started squishing the ones on their just to get the scent on the trap. I have not hurt any of the bees either that are working the plants!

What I found to work is water the plants, sit back and wait. Within five to 10 minutes the bugs come to the top of the plant where they are easier to see. You still have to hand pick but searching is easier.