Need a squash bug solution that REALLY works for 2012 gardening

[ducks4you]

catjac1975, longwinded is great when you've got experience. Thanks!
peteyfoozer, funny you should mention 4-o'clock's. I found some websites in 2011 that mention them as pest controllers. I HAD heard about toxic to Japenese beetles, but not squash bugs. I have 2 packages and I plan to use hanging baskets. My beds are right next to horse fencing that is in front of my barn, thus something to hang on. I also read that they are toxic to dogs, cats, people, everthing else. I don't want my critters to eat them and die, too.
I think I have an arsenal of solutions to use. I also never cleaned up my beds until last fall. THAT needs to be done, but I don't know that I realized WHY until I had this problem. Certainly "volunteers" are not a problem, in my book, bc I just move them somewhere else.
I still will need to clean off about 6 inches of dirt from the beds affected, but if I move this a few acres away to the corner of my horse turnout, I don't think they hatch out in the same number as if I leave them to hatch in the beds this Spring.
As I said, if the chickens eat the sacrificial squash and NOT the bugs, at least I'll have eggs and meat.
Anybody else?

 

[ducks4you]

JUST to be clear, THIS is what I fighting:

I heard that Pymethrins can kill some bugs, and RepelX (horse fly spray) contains that, so it's worth a try, as well.
I'M AT WAR!!!!!!

 

[catjac1975]

The eggs are hard to squish-need to be picked off and put in soapy water. You're going to removed 6 inches of dirt?????Sounds like too much work to me. And I can't imagine it's that effective. let the chickens into the beds instead to eat the larve. (I don't know know it what form they over winter.) Perhaps fire would be a way but it has adverse effects on soil microbes.I still believe it has to do with nutrition. One other nutrient I believe in is green sand-micronutrients. Perhaps your county extension service would have a solution. They are much more organic than they used to be.

 

[lesa]

If you are patient and dedicated you would be surprised how well you can do, with handpicking. Every evening I went out to my pumpkins and looked under every leaf. If I found a squash bug, I killed it! They really blend in with the soil, but you get good at finding them. They are usually around the base of the plant. I had hardly any eggs laid. If I find them and I can't scrape them off with my fingernail, I just tear that part of the leaf off... I was very happy, until the vine borers killed my plants!!

 

[vfem]

Everyone with experience is giving great advice... I eventually loss the battle myself. So we do early squash and while fighting squash bugs, everything eventually succumbs to vine borers. I just can't win. I have tried the yellow water with soap in it, that seems to do ok... but you have to put them far enough AWAY from the squash plants to actually matter.

My new enemy... stink bugs... they like to suck the life out of my tomatoes! UGH!

 

[seedcorn]

I use soapy water, pour it directly on the base of the plant (I also use a hand sprayer and spray the whole plant) and this will kill them off as well. Once they get into the plant, it's over.......

 

[catjac1975]

Everyone with experience is giving great advice... I eventually loss the battle myself. So we do early squash and while fighting squash bugs, everything eventually succumbs to vine borers. I just can't win. I have tried the yellow water with soap in it, that seems to do ok... but you have to put them far enough AWAY from the squash plants to actually matter.

My new enemy... stink bugs... they like to suck the life out of my tomatoes! UGH!

My squash vine borer population has dwindled as has the squash bug population. For the borers, on the vined plants, cover the vine with soil every few feet and those areas will develop roots. The borer will then not kill the whole plant. BT will work to kill the borer. Spray in it in the hole.

Another thing that I forgot to mention: I plant my squashes consecutively 3 times. First I put out seedlings started in my greenhouse, and seeds at the same time. I put out more seed when the first of the fruits appear. That gives me 3 crops so if one dies out I have more on the way.

If you don't see squash bug eggs it's because you have a small population and they should not over populate enough to ruin your crop.

The first pest I see on curcubits are cucumber beetles. I use rotenone on them. If these are not controlled they weaken the plant for disease.

As I said in my first note the organic thinking is healthy plants are not attractive to pests. Therefore if you keep them healthy the bugs may not come.

YOu can get pyrethrin for garden plants.

 

[catjac1975]

So... I'm reading this book called Organic Pest Control For Home & Garden (Amazon link ) and it says that for companion planting that if you plant marigold or radish that it will help keep the Squash bugs away. I figure at this point, I will try anything to keep from using pesticides in my garden! I've already ordered marigold seeds, got 200 seeds from Baker Creek for $1.75, so I'll be mixing them in with a few of my beds this year!

Make sure you get marigolds with the strong odor. Some have no smell-useless.

 

[seedcorn]

As I said in my first note the organic thinking is healthy plants are not attractive to pests. Therefore if you keep them healthy the bugs may not come.

Interesting thought. In field corn, the first to get hit w/corn borers, ear worms, etc are the darker green, attractive plants. Unhealthy or mature fields have a lot less insect pressures--altho when a plant is in trouble, it doesn't take much to really weaken it.

 

[catjac1975]

As I said in my first note the organic thinking is healthy plants are not attractive to pests. Therefore if you keep them healthy the bugs may not come.

Interesting thought. In field corn, the first to get hit w/corn borers, ear worms, etc are the darker green, attractive plants. Unhealthy or mature fields have a lot less insect pressures--altho when a plant is in trouble, it doesn't take much to really weaken it.

BT works great on corn borers.

Evidence in most organics is anecdotal. I have tried everything for the squash bugs. So something has worked to reduce the population-never chemical pesticides.