Squash Bug Lesson

My big garden this year is teaching me something about myself. Something big. Maybe you already knew this about me: I freak out when something doesn't go according to plan. Even when I'm conservative with my expectations, an unexpected hang up can put me on the brink of Hulk-crazy, then depressed, then despondent. But then, after some thinking and research and mental restructuring, I formulate a new plan and move forward a little happier.

It happened with the baby tomato plants getting infected with grey leaf spot.

It happened again with the fungus gnats completely decimating my cucumber, melon, pumpkin, and eggplant starts.

And this week, it's the squash bugs.

The rest of this blog post is about my plan to deal with squash bugs. If this topic doesn't capture your interest, feel free to stop reading. I'm kinda working this out in my brain as I write it out here.

Fascinating fact: Squash bugs are TRUE bugs. Many insects are called bugs, but there are only a very few insects that fit into the true bug nomenclature.

Another fascinating fact: their babies are horrifically ugly. I consider myself pretty open-minded about most insects, but squash bug nymphs are a class in and of themselves:

Am I wrong about this? No. Just imagine flipping your pumpkin leaf over and getting an eyeful of those little suckers! They're a visual cross of a spider and a tick, which gives me the heeby jeebies.

The adults look like this:

And they smell funny when you squish them. Please, please squish them whenever you find one. Promise me?

I knew squash bugs were an issue in my area, especially in a community garden where the same families of vegetables are grown in the same little area year after year. Most squash plants need to be pollinated to bear fruit, which means you can't shield your precious pumpkin plants from the squash bugs forever. Unless...maybe I could grow them under row covers and hand-pollinate every day. [Tuck that thought away for consideration next year]

I know what you're thinking. Why not spray and get rid of the whole lot? A few reasons:

• It's important to me to stick to organic methods this year. 
• The adults and eggs are resistant to organic-approved insecticides. Only the nymphs are susceptible. 
• The organic insecticides can be expensive and difficult to apply. 
• New adults can fly in whenever they like.
• There are other methods that work better.

I learned more about the squash bug lifecycle. They only lay eggs once in their lives...bright orangey copper eggs in clusters right on the leaf surface. So easy to spot! The eggs take 10 days to hatch. The nymphs can't fly and they tend to feed off of the leaves in groups. This is very good news!

Well, it's only good news compared to the pests that can destroy the plant from the INSIDE without any clue or time for intervention. Oh yes, there are some of those.

So, reading up on several trusted sources about organic control of squash bugs, I've decided to proceed this way:

1. Don't give up
2. Add squash bug maintenance to my regular garden routine (every other day)
1. Remove eggs from leaves
2. Check around in the mulch for any adults, destroy by drowning in soapy water
3. Squish nymphs by hand. They're hideous, but they're remarkably soft. Their bodies don't even 'pop' when you squish them. One thumb (and my eyes half shut, face twisted in disgust and horror) can eliminate 20 or more of those ugly babies at once. I think this will get easier with practice.

I've already begun this plan and it seems to be working. The plants I combed for eggs/bugs two days ago are significantly less affected than the ones I didn't get to until today. That means it takes more than two days to cause the amount of damage I repaired. Good news, indeed!

I destroyed every egg I could find this morning. The eggs I missed will become nymphs while we're away this week, but not so big that I can't thumb them when I get back.

And once my pumpkin plants get big and strong, I won't have to be so diligent. It's the small plants that can be completely destroyed by squash bug feeding. Bigger plants can take the assault in stride. Theoretically. I'm keeping an eye out all the same.