How To Get Rid Of Squash Bugs

Squash bugs can be a huge pest, and wreak havoc in your vegetable garden. But it IS possible to get rid of them.

In this post, you’ll learn all about them, including what they look like, their lifecycle, where they come from, what they eat, and the damage they cause to plants.

Then I’ll show you a bunch of organic methods for how to get rid of squash bugs in your garden, and prevent them from coming back.

What Are Squash Bugs?

Squash bugs (also known as the horned squash bug) are a common insect pest. They feed on all types of plants in the Cucurbitaceae family, including squash, gourds, cucumbers, and melons.

But they aren’t the only bugs that eat cucurbits, so it’s important to verify that you’re dealing with the right one before you start treating your plants. There are two common types of bugs that plague squash plants, and it’s easy to tell them apart.

If you have insects crawling all over the leaves and fruits, those are squash bugs. On the other hand, if there are white worms inside of the stems, vines, or fruits, those are squash vine borers, and here’s how to get rid of them.

What Do Squash Bugs Look Like?

Adult squash bugs are brown or gray colored with flat, oval-shaped bodies. Some of them have an inverted V or diamond shape in the center of their back, and white dots along the perimeter.

Other species have a dark U shaped band across the top, or dots covering their backs. Full-grown adults are just over a 1/2 inch long. They are able to fly, but most of the time you’ll just see them walking around on the plants.

Squash bug babies, called nymphs, are much smaller. They can be anywhere from 1/10″ to 1/2″ long as they mature into adults.

Right after hatching, the nymphs have green bodies, but they turn gray a few weeks later. They have long black legs, and look like weird little spiders. They tend to cluster on the undersides of leaves, and they move very, very fast.

Related Post: How To Grow Summer Squash

The Squash Bug Life Cycle

Before you can get rid of squash bugs, it’s important to understand their life cycle. There are three main stages: eggs, nymphs, and adults.

The adults hibernate under debris in the garden and surrounding areas through the winter. They emerge when the weather warms in early summer to start feeding and mating.

Females will begin laying eggs on nearby cucurbit plants soon after. They lay them in clusters on the undersides of the leaves, usually in a corner where the thickest veins form a V shape.

The eggs will hatch in about ten days, and the babies (called nymphs) will emerge. It takes about six weeks for the nymphs to mature into adults.

The good news is that there’s usually only one generation of squash bugs per year, though they can overlap.

Related Post: How To Grow Winter Squash

Where Do Squash Bugs Come From?

Although you don’t usually see it, adult squash bugs can fly. That means they can travel a long way to find your garden. This is why it can be so challenging to get rid of them.

Since cucurbits are their main host plant, they’re naturally attracted to them. So, if there are squash bugs present in your area of the world, then there’s a good chance they will find your garden.

What Do Squash Bugs Eat?

Squash bugs love to feed on all types of cucurbit plants. This includes all winter and summer squash varieties, like zucchini, pumpkins, and gourds, as well as melons and cucumbers.

Both the adults and the nymphs will feed on all parts of the plant. They usually start with the leaves, and then work their way to the vines, and finally the fruit as the plant starts to die.

Squash Bug Damage To Plants

They cause damage to plants by sucking the sap out of the leaves, which will turn yellow, wilt, and then eventually dry up and die. Severe damage can cause the vine to turn black.

Healthy, mature plants can handle a small squash bug infestation without major problems. But a large population can kill a weak or immature plant pretty quickly.

Related Post: How To Grow Cucumbers

How To Get Rid Of Squash Bugs

The good news is that you can indeed get rid of squash bugs for good. I haven’t had them in my home garden for over ten years (knock on wood).

It’s a different story in our community garden plot, since others don’t do anything to prevent the spread. So managing the population is a more realistic goal.

Here are the first steps you should take to control an outbreak:

• Keep a close eye on your plants. Check them regularly for leaves that are turning yellow or brown, which is the first sign of a squash bug infestation.

• If you find a yellowing or browning leaf, inspect it closely, especially the underside. If you see any squash bugs crawling around, then take immediate action.

• Be persistent! If you stay on top of the problem, then they won’t cause much damage (trust me, it sounds harder than it is).

Organic Squash Bug Control Methods

The best way to get rid of squash bugs in your veggie garden is to use natural garden pest control methods, rather than synthetic chemicals.

Below I have listed several organic treatments you can use. Be sure to experiment, and also try combining a few of them to find what works best for you.

Hand Pick The Adults & Nymphs

The best organic treatment for squash bugs is hand-picking them off your plants. They don’t sting or bite, so you can just pick them off with your bare hands. If that freaks you out, then wear gloves.

It’s not hard to do once you get the hang of it – but they can move fast. Like really fast! And they’re elusive little buggers too, so you have to be quick.

Once you catch them, simply drop them into a bucket of soapy water, or just squish them if you’re not too squeamish.

Since they tend to cluster, sometimes it’s easier to remove the infested leaf. Then drop the whole thing into the bucket of soapy water, or step on it to crush the bugs, rather than trying to chase after them.

Once you’re done, you can dispose of the dead squash bugs by dumping them into your compost bin, or somewhere in the weeds.

Capture Them With Duct Tape

If you’re having a hard time catching them, you can try capturing them with duct tape, or any other type of thick tape you have on hand.

Simply roll the tape around your hand, with the sticky side facing out. Then brush it over the eggs, bugs, and nymphs.

Take care not to press too hard, or the tape could stick to the leaves. When you’re done, just toss the bug-covered tape into the trash.

Try Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a wonderful product that you can use to kill squash bugs naturally. The fine powder easily sticks to their bodies.

It works best when you sprinkle it directly onto the bugs, rather than doing a broad application. Spreading it everywhere is much less effective, and you’ll just be wasting it.

Use Insecticidal Soap

Soap will quickly kill many of the bugs on contact. But at minimum it will slow them down so they’re easier to catch and hand pick.

You can use a pre-made insecticidal soap, or make your own. My recipe is 1 teaspoon of mild liquid soap to 1 liter of water.

How To Prevent Squash Bugs

One of the easiest ways to control squash bugs is to keep them from infesting your plants in the first place. Below are a few simple prevention methods to try.

Check For Eggs

The best way to thwart an infestation is to regularly find and destroy the eggs as the squash bugs lay them. It’s easy to spot them when you know what you’re looking for.

Most times you’ll find them in clusters on the undersides of leaves, and in a nook where the larger veins form a V shape. They’re brown or red-ish in color, and oval shaped.

Gently scrape the eggs off with your fingernail or a tool, and then destroy them. Or you can use the rolled up duct tape trick I described above. Check the leaves weekly for new egg clusters so you can get rid of them before they hatch.

Use Row Covers

Putting row covers over your plants can keep the squash bugs from laying their eggs in the first place. Or you could cover your plants with inexpensive tulle fabric instead.

The downfall of using row covers is that it will also keep pollinators out. So, you can either hand-pollinate your squash flowers, or remove the covers once the plants start to bloom.

Try Repellent Plants

Nasturtium is a natural companion plant that can work to repel squash bugs. I tried it out in my community garden one year, and it worked great.

I inter-planted nasturtium flowers in one half of the garden to test it out. Sure enough the cucurbits on that side of the bed never had one squash bug, while the ones in the other half did.

Keep Your Garden Clean

The adults will overwinter under plant debris and other materials in the garden. So, to prevent them next year, be sure to clean out your garden in the fall.

Tilling or turning the soil can also help to kill or expose hibernating squash bugs. You should also burn, toss out, or otherwise destroy dead cucurbit plants in the fall, rather than composting them in your yard.

If you’d like to learn how to make the most of your space and get as much homegrown food as possible, then my Vertical Vegetables book is perfect! It will teach you all you need to know, has tons of gorgeous photos, and includes 23 DIY projects you can build for your own garden. Order your copy today!

Learn more about my Vertical Vegetables book here.

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