Tag Archives: squash bug control

Zucchini-flowers and squash bug patrol

zucchini- 2025

I want to address squash flower pollination. All squash including zucchini have separate male and female flowers and need pollinator bees to pollinate them to produce the fruit. The bees visit the male flowers collecting the pollen and then go over to the female flowers where they brush off some of the pollen on their legs. Without bees, we would have to hand pollinate but lucky for us, they do the work.

 

SQUASH FLOWERS
Zucchini produce the male flowers first-about 2 weeks before the female flowers arrive. I just noticed the flower buds starting. You can tell the difference because male flowers have the flower on the end of a straight stem while female flowers have a tiny (future fruit) attached at the base of the flower. Very easy to tell the difference.

 

It’s stamen not staman

The inside of the blossom is also different. Notice the difference.

 

SQUASH BUG PATROL
What does this have to do with squash bugs? The squash bug is already out and about so I keep my zucchini covered completely with row cover so they can’t get in just yet which saves me time. My beds have a drip system but you can water through the row cover too.

Once they start producing flowers (male flowers come first) I still keep them covered. But once the female flower comes, I have to UNCOVER the plants so the bees can get in and do the pollination.  And that’s when the squash bugs get in and I have to go on squash bug patrol.

SQUASH BUG LIFE CYCLE-IMPORTANT!
Squash bugs go from eggs to nymphs in 7-10 days. You don’t want to let them to turn into nymphs. So you need to get out once a week and look for adults (put in bucket of soapy water), scrape off the rootbeer colored eggs off the leaves and stems and put in the bucket. If you do that, you will control them. But you must be diligent.

 

If you don’t go out, the eggs hatch into the grey colored nymphs with black legs and get out of control and are hard to catch-I’ve had to sometimes cut off a whole leaf and stem and quickly put them in the bucket of soapy water because they nymphs are very fast and usually a lot hatch at one time.

So I go out every 7 days on Sundays to inspect and control the squash bugs. The time has come-you pick your day but don’t delay.

More on squash bugs..

Squash bugs are around my squash and pumpkins right now. I go out AT LEAST ONE TIME A WEEK and go hunting for adults, nymphs and eggs. I know the ADULTS LIKE TO HIDE DOWN AT THE BASE OF THE PLANT or underneath the leaves. I take the hose and spray the whole plant and at particularly at the base which is covered in straw. The adults come running up the stems of the leaves to escape the water. Then I pick them off with my hand. I hate handling bugs barehanded so I use gardening gloves. I either squish them on the ground or put them in a bucket of soapy water where the adults drown.  No mercy.

I then look at EACH LEAF of the plant to see if there are any EGGS ON THE UNDERNEATH SIDE OF THE LEAVES, usually in the “v” where the veins form. If I find them, I either tear off the whole leaf (if I have a lot of leaves) or I tear out just the section that has the eggs and put them is a bucket of soapy water where they will smother. THE EGGS WILL BE DARK LIKE ROOTBEER WHEN THEY ARE READY TO HATCH, so get them EARLY.

I also look for the GRAY NYMPHS WHICH ARE USUALLY UNDERNEATH THE LEAVES OR ON THE STEMS. If I find a few I squish them. If I find a lot, I take the whole leaf off because they are fast and I can get them all. Then I put them in the soapy water.

Squash bugs go from EGGS TO NYMPHS IN 7-10 DAYS, so we should look for eggs about every 7 days to catch them from turning into nymphs. I do this on the weekend when I have more time. The squash bug PRODUCES ONE NEW GENERATION EACH YEAR but of course if each squash bug lays 15 eggs on each leaf they chose to deposit their eggs on, then all those newly hatched nymphs will lay more-but not this year. The nymphs will grow into adults this year but will not lay eggs. They will overwinter and lay their eggs next year.

So my thinking is if you get the adults now and the eggs now, then next year you should have way less squash bugs (I’m assuming we might miss a few) and of course if we get them all, in theory we should have none next year.

I keep my plants covered early in the season with row cover until they flower but now that they are flowering, I must uncover them so the bees can pollinate them. The key is to be REALLY DILIGENT ABOUT FINDING THEM BEFORE THE EGGS HATCH. After they hatch you can easily be overcome by the nymphs. Most people don’t keep up on the inspections and then the problem magnifies tenfold-so keep up on them. The hunt is on!

Some people spray Sevin on the plants. I prefer to go organically, so if I get a major problem, I would use Neem which is somewhat helpful but picking them off is the best way to control them.

All pictures courtesy of University of Minnesota. For more info on squash bugs, go to their site:  http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1208.html