If you have a vegetable garden, I guess you’re very busy. There are so many things to do, including growing plants or seeds, taking care of them, and make sure that you can harvest the best fruits and vegetables. To maintain the ideal condition for the garden, you must protect plants from insects and diseases. One sign you should keep an eye on is yellow fuzzy bugs on squash plants.
They are enemies of the squash. Yellow fuzzy bugs on squash plants can stink and bite fruits and leaves. They are harmful to squash plants. It would be best if you were well-prepared to fight against tiny animals. Getting some tips is necessary. You can remove pests and protect your squash plants.
1. Catch insects by hand
Your hands and palms are one of the most useful tools. If the garden is not too large and you know that you can catch bugs with your hands, you should use this method.
Catching manually is conventional and safe. However, it takes time to remove all squash bugs. You can crush bugs after catching them. If you don’t want to do that, you may drop them into a bowl of soapy water.
It’s supposed that you should pick squash bugs in the morning and evening because their activities become more dynamic in those moments per day. You easily seek and see tiny animals. Catch adult bugs with your fingers and drop them down the solution.
Adult bugs often stick to the underside of leaves, especially leaves near the soil ground.
Female bugs give yellow eggs on the underside of leaves. You must remove small eggs from the leaves. During removal, try to minimize the damage of leaves. Brush eggs into soapy water or use sticky tape to get rid of them from leaves.
You must catch squash bugs every day because eggs will crack, and young buds will grow up. It’s important to pick bugs as many as possible and as fast as you can. Don’t be lazy! This is a fight. If you miss some days of picking, your squash plants will die.
If you don’t like to use your hands to catch bugs, you can choose alternative methods.
You can spray squash plants with a water hose. Use hot water to kill bugs. Another tool is row covers, which should be used in the early spring. However, squash bugs can live through the winter, so it’s hard to eliminate a lot of them.
Alternatives to handpicking that can also work are spraying your plants with a water hose- some people have said using the hot water from the hose in the late afternoon can hurt the squash beetles. Remember to open rows for pollination coming.
2. Protectors as other plants
This method is the usage of repellent plants. You grow them along with your squashes. They will take control of the bugs. Two companion plants are nasturtiums and white icicle radishes.
How to grow them? You had better grow companion plants between the squash beds to get the highest efficiency. Other choices are oregano, marigold, calendula, and dill. They can also protect your plants and make squash bugs keep away your garden.
3. Usage of beneficial insects
How about taking advantage of tiny animals in the garden to stop harmful insects? Not all insects are dangerous for squash plants. Some are good while some are bad. It’s a good idea to kill squash bugs using beneficial insects. You can cut down the pesticide of chemicals.
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Insecticides can eradicate both beneficial insects and squash bugs. The method is like a knife with two blades. It’s great if you can use insects as a weapon to eliminate bugs. A few beneficial insects are Tachinid fly or Trichopoda pennies. They can stop the growth of squash bugs.
Beneficial insects will lay their eggs on the adult squash bugs. Eggs will hatch and eat the host. Adult squash bugs will be the food of young beneficial insects. This’s how beneficial insects remove squash bugs.
If you grow dill or calendula and the squash plants, Tachinid flies will be attracted by their pollen and nectar-rich flowers.
4. Usage of Diatomaceous Earth powder
Diatomaceous Earth powder is made from the ground up diatoms. It creates microscopic cuts in the exoskeleton of insects and makes them dried out. Two types of Diatomaceous Earth powder consist of food grade and industrial grade. The food-grade is to solve the problems with your garden and pest. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth at the ground right under the plant. Diatomaceous Earth powder cannot take effect when it’s wet. Therefore, you need to sprinkle a new layer of powder after the previous layer gets wet.
Adult squash bugs are not injured due to Diatomaceous Earth powder because they have a hard shell; however, squash bug nymphs still are killed. The nymphs don’t have such a hard shell, so they are vulnerable.
Don’t let the powder leave on the blossoms. It may be harmful to beneficial insects like the bee, ladybug, or Tachinid fly. Only use it in certain areas.
Check this article: Cucumber Plants Dying From Bottom Up – How To Revitalize Your Garden
5. Observe your mulch
Why do you need to check the mulch? Many people often sprinkle a layer of mulch around plants. Do you know that it is like a protective cover for squash bugs? They like to hide under the mulch layer. Mulch will attract bugs, which isn’t good for your garden.
The solution is another cover like a plastic sheet. You can remove mulch and choose another material to cover the base of the plant.
6. Grow several types of plants
This method is quite good. You can make use of other plants to support your squash plants. For example, we try to plant three yellow scalloped squashes along with one green zucchini. We find that squash bugs than green zucchini attract yellow scalloped squash. They are often the first to be swarmed and fall.
Therefore, we consider yellow scalloped squash as a sacrificial plant. You also can grow one type of plant but increase the number of plants. Plants of the same type can become sacrificial plants. However, it’s like a bet. You suffer huge damage if squash bugs destroy all plants in the garden. It would be best to try many types of plants that squash bugs don’t prefer, like butternut squash.
It’s necessary to understand weather conditions, climate, and life cycles of insects. You will apply methods effectively. Many gardeners can start growing squash plants later but still succeed and even stop the squash bugs’ attack.
It would help if you tried to plant one or two months early before the bugs get worsen. Planting in the spring, early summer, or late summer planting is better for your bug prevention.
Find out more tips here:
Conclusion
You have to apply several methods to remove yellow fuzzy bugs on squash plants. Tiny insects can destroy your garden. Use physical and chemical ways to kill them. Apply the right steps and observe plants frequently.
Good luck!
