Autumn in the Garden

Autumn in the Garden
Autumn in the Garden: Cosmos Forest for our chitinous and feathered friends

Saturday, July 06, 2013

Squash Bug Has Arrived this Year!

2016 update: July 2nd we removed fresh eggs from Carol's & Doreen's zucchini.  The darker the bronze eggs, the closer to hatching.  Check your zukes and other squash.

2014  June 27 first sighting this year.  Look under the squash leaves.

July 6, 2013 I found a mass of the bronze football-shaped squash bug eggs on both the underside AND the top of one of my squash plant leaves.  Other gardeners are seeing them too.
Nymphs
  







Scout especially the underside of your squash leaves.  Unlike the Squash Borer, these eggs are clustered in neat little rows and are a shiny bronze when first laid.  As they get closer to hatching, they turn darker.  Check Squash Bug on this blog for last year's entry and info on how to deal with each stage of this pest.

Eggs hatch in 1-2 weeks and at first the nymphs are dark red with a light green abdomen.  As they age they turn light gray with black legs.  The young ones are gregarious and feed together in groups. After five to six weeks they mature into adults.

Squash bugs spend most of their time around the base and stems of the plants and on the undersides of leaves.



Adult

No comments:

Post a Comment