Squash bug war

[lesa]

My allergies have been crazy this year- I pop benedry like candy. My daughter is like you- if she takes one, it is like a sleeping pill. She literally slept through my brother's wedding! Hope your rash goes away on its own... soon!

 

[Kassaundra]

Today was squash bug killing day had the best day ever (for least amount of adults found and squished) only 78 today, hundreds of nymphs and only about 10-15 egg clusters. Wore long sleeves and medical gloves and at least didn't make my rash any worse. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be in long loose sleeves and triple didget temps. If this heat and drought doesn't break I'm going to have to make some hard descisions about which plants get water and which don't.

 

[lesa]

Holy squash bug!! I can't believe you have that many...

 

[Kassaundra]

Holy squash bug!! I can't believe you have that many...

I hunt them a couple times a week and have been doing it for over a month now, I usually get more then that. I'm hoping the reduction today is the beginning of a good trend, and not just a fluke.

 

[so lucky]

Kassaundra, how many plantings of squash do you have?

 

[Kassaundra]

Kassaundra, how many plantings of squash do you have?

About 20-25 plants I think

 

[Prizewinner]

There is a way to control squash bugs. I've found after several years of growing squash, pumpkins, and melons that interplanting them with nasturtiums helps deter the pests. The way I control them the best though is by spraying the plants with Bug-B-Gone Max at dawn and dusk. I hate to use chemicals, but I've found it's the only way to kill the squash bugs and get a harvest every year.

 

[Kassaundra]

There is a way to control squash bugs. I've found after several years of growing squash, pumpkins, and melons that interplanting them with nasturtiums helps deter the pests. The way I control them the best though is by spraying the plants with Bug-B-Gone Max at dawn and dusk. I hate to use chemicals, but I've found it's the only way to kill the squash bugs and get a harvest every year.

If my choice were to eat squash that I had to spray w/ chemicals or not eat squash at all, I would choose not to eat it at all. While I bemoan all the squishing and it is time consuming, it does work, I almost always have squash plants at the end of the season that die of frost and not squash bugs (I consider that victory if I have one squash plant left I won)

 

[ducks4you]

I haven't seen any this year, Maybe bc of the drought. If I get them, I'll probably throw the towel in. I'm amazed that I even HAVE a garden in this awful drought. So sorry...been there, done that...DON'T want another, thank you very much!!!