Pests/Ctrl Squash question - large pots? squash bugs
- Thread starter Coulter
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WanderLore
Veteran Member
Can of beer near plant
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
While OC and I like to be as close to organic as possible sometimes you've gotta bring out the big guns in order to save your plants... so we use Sevin when the squash bugs are problematic. You could use Diamatecous earth if it's not going to rain in your area for a couple of days.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
This works for slugs, never heard of this being used for squash bugs... but I could be wrong.
Just please try to avoid using Sevin on plants thst are blooming! It's absolutely deadly to bees, and they can carry it back to the hive. 1 cup of dust can kill an entire hive of honeybees... and you need them if you're going to get a crop. Hand pollinating vine crops is possible, but tedious as hell if you're doing more than a few blossoms to ensure a pure crop for seed.
Summerthyme
Summerthyme
Have never used it. Will give it a try. I have used the dawn dish soap mixture - and it killed hundreds but next day they were full of them. It became exhausting to repeat almost daily. 2 years ago I had a volunteer plant that had not been infected with them and the squash was almost ready to pick and a few days later I noticed the bugs found them so I got 200 feet of electric cord and my wet dry vacuum out and literally sucked up over 200 of all sizes. Checked the plant 2 days later and it was dead with uncountable bugs all over it. It was incredible almost unbelievable.
Last year had several plants that I was watching for the bugs and there were none. It finally dawned on me since we had had a flood that it was the 100's of frogs in the garden that were eating the bugs. I won't be as lucky this year. Garden size close to 1/2 acre. As far as I can tell it is only the squash that these bugs go after.
Just wondering if I moved the squash to completely different site with large pots if it would help or not. I have planted the plants in 4 different areas away from other sites by at least 100 yards - and they always find them.
I have noticed if you want to kill bees just leave a partially empty can of Dr. Pepper out and it can kill 50 or more in one can. I have to constantly remind myself not to do that.
If this is common knowledge I missed it.
But it should be.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
Have you considered a ground treatment? Also going to a local nursery and asking about planting dates for squash. IIRC someone posted here several years ago about planting past a certain date because the squash larvae won't have anything to feed on and therefore die off in large numbers.
Soda seems to attract more yellow jacketscand wasps than honeybees around here, but it is a good reminder. Not to mention, you can be in a world of hurt if you take a swig of an open soda that a yellow jacket invaded a couple minutes earlier!
Summerthyme
More than once I have spit out a mouth full of bees. Couple of times not all of them were dead but didn't get stung.
Never thought about planting dates will check in to both suggestions - thanks
WanderLore
Veteran Member
Diatomaceous earth? Would that help?
WanderLore
Veteran Member
I usually have to take each plant and wash the bugs and larvae off. Hassel. Then the mold thing gets them but I usually have a good crop by then. Now, I never seem to have a problem with acorn squash and I plant them away from everything else.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
This is what we start with, if it's not raining every single day.
I was thinking that too but it would hurt the bees.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
Good question! Here we have japanese beetles that destroy everything and a striped beetle that goes specifically after squash, and then we have those damned stink bugs that I learned were eating my tomatoes.
Josie
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I had squash bugs last year and DE with some success but it was a pain in the rear to be applying it all the time. For some reason, Mother Nature has a way of knowing when I apply it and that 10% chance of rain becomes a 100% chance of rain.
Here are some other natural solutions...
Here are some other natural solutions...
How to Prevent and Get Rid of Squash Bugs in Your Garden
Squash bugs are destructive pests that are often found feeding on pumpkins, cucumbers, and winter squash. Learn how to prevent and get rid of them effectively.
www.planetnatural.com
John Deere Girl
Veteran Member
I scatter radish seeds around the base of mine and no longer have a squash bug problem.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
I had squash bugs last year and DE with some success but it was a pain in the rear to be applying it all the time. For some reason, Mother Nature has a way of knowing when I apply it and that 10% chance of rain becomes a 100% chance of rain.
Here are some other natural solutions...
How to Prevent and Get Rid of Squash Bugs in Your Garden
Squash bugs are destructive pests that are often found feeding on pumpkins, cucumbers, and winter squash. Learn how to prevent and get rid of them effectively.www.planetnatural.com
I had the same issues with the rain as well and those damned japanese beetles eating the leaves of my cherry trees, grape vines and cucumbers.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
Interesting, I'll have to try this, I wonder why this acts as a deterrent?
check out youtube
there are several suggestions
I am going to try one this year---the vine borers have killed mine in the past years
naturallysweet
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I find planting sunflowers near them help. They attack the sunflowers and leave the squash alone. It really depends on if a full wave hits or just a few bugs. They can pick a patch of young plants clean in a few hours.
Bacillus Thuringiensis aka B.T. is the only thing I've found to help with the squash vine borers. You can actually inject it into the stem where you see evidence of them and save your plants once they've been invaded. It's even better as a preventative. My son told me about it and I've watched a ton of videos on youtube showing how to use it. I got the Monterey B.t. brand on Amazon. It helps with any kind of caterpillar or worm invasion...even the worms that invade my pecan trees. You dilute it with water and spray it on. I use the tanks you get in the garden dept. that's made to pump up and spray on fertilizer or insecticides. I often spray daily when they are bad.
It's best to buy it before it gets too hot since heat can kill all the beneficial little creatures in it.
Edited to add...it's organic.
It's best to buy it before it gets too hot since heat can kill all the beneficial little creatures in it.
Edited to add...it's organic.
Until reading your posts about sunflowers I was convinced that my squash surviving much longer last year than ever before was do to the many frogs I had in my garden (a repeat I don't expect very often) but I also planted them on the very next row to my sunflowers. Had never planted them close to each other before.
If the sunflowers were my savior they didn't seem to be bothered by the squash bugs.
ginnie6
Veteran Member
I was just telling dh yesterday that although we usually just live with the squash bugs this year I thought we needed some sevin. But you've given me some alternatives! I have TONS of radish and sunflower seeds and he loves to plant sunflowers all over. I'm hoping to put some squash out in the next day or two so I'll put some radishes and sunflowers out with them.
vessie
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I tried that and the raccoons thanked me as I had discovered that they had, had a 'hootenanny' in my tomato garden the night before! Lol! V
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
THank you!
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
That explains why I didn’t trap any slugs!
I have had so many problems with vine borers and squash bugs that most years I don't even bother growing it. But this year I'm trying again. On YouTube the Alabama Gardener says to pull off all the bottom leaves and flowers and wrap the vines in tin foil until the threat passes. The Rusted Gardener says to spray the plants with peppermint to confuse and repel the bugs. I am going to try both and I'm going to try to grow them on stakes vertically.