The squash bugs have joined the battle for our beloved vegetables. While they look harmless, they can prove deadly to our squashes and their relatives.  Rather than eat the leaves, they are more subtle sucking the juices out of the plant causing leaves to wilt and die eventually killing the plant.  Last year, we did not keep up with them and they decimated all of our squash, zucchini, and pumpkin plants.

Unfortunately, other than manually picking them off there seems to be few effective organic options to rid ourselves of these pests.

VegEdge: Squash Bug

If only a few plants are affected, it is most effective to hand pick and destroy squash bugs and eggs. Another option is to place boards or shingles on the ground next to the plants. At night the squash bugs will aggregate under the boards and can then be destroyed each morning. Using resistant varieties such as Butternut, Royal Acorn, or Sweet Cheese and maintaining a healthy plant through proper fertilization and watering are also important to limiting squash bug damage. It is also necessary to remove debris in and around the garden area that could possibly be used as shelter by the bugs. As stated above, by removing debris from the area, overwintering sites for the adults are reduced.