4 Ways to Mange Squash Bug Damage on Your Squash, Zucchini, and Other Garden Plants: My Approach!

Squash bugs really can’t be defeated one hundred percent in a garden, but the damage they cause can be greatly managed down. You can move them from the category of devastating your squash and zucchini to being nuisances on your plants. They are also very resistant to insect dusts and sprays.

The first step is to accept they are present and that the goal is to reduce their population which will reduce garden damage. The second step is to follow my routine or the parts you find appropriate for your garden. The adults show up and their goal is to lay eggs, 100’s of eggs, on the undersides of leaves. You may also find them on the stems. Inspect your squash and zucchini leaves, at least three times a week, and look for the eggs. A sticky piece of tape pressed on the egg cluster will remove them from the leaf. Press the tape on the eggs and peel. Egg removal is probably the greatest way to reduce damage, because you reduce the potential population of feeding hatchlings and future adult squash bugs.

When watering your plants, soak the base of the plant with a hose. The adult squash bugs hang out under the plant and therefore watering by hand, on their home, sends them running up the plant. After watering thoroughly, wait 5 minutes, and look around the base of the plant. You will see the adults relocating to higher dry ground. Remove them by hand, yes by hand. My video from my YouTube channel The Rusted Garden fully demonstrates the watering technique and methods outlined in this article.

You will most likely miss some eggs and they will hatch. The leaves are typically damaged where the hatchlings congregate and grow. You can find them by continuing to inspect the undersides of leaves, several times a week. Soapy water spray works really well on the soft-bodied squash bug hatchlings and juveniles. When they reach maturity, the adult squash bugs, often need a stronger soap spray. 

Another, but not overly effective, way to manage them is with any insect dust such as organic dusts with Spinosad. I have found the adults to be very resistant to insect dusts and sprays. The younger squash bugs do seem to be harmed more by the dusts. If you are going to use dust, make sure you use it on leaves, stems, and vines and not the flowers. Dusts kill good and bad insects. Contacting them with a strong soap spray seems to be the most effective form of management, in my experience.

You do have to test spray, to ensure the soap concentration of your mix, doesn’t damage plant leaves. Always spray a couple of leaves and wait 24-48 hours and check for damage before widely using the mix. Remember each plant variety may react differently to the spray.

Soaps vary from pure clean soap often called Castile or simple soap to harsh concentrated dish detergents. These detergents are often called dish soap. It is very confusing and all soap and detergents are not equal. The best approach is to consider any ‘dish soap’ as a degreaser detergent. I recommend picking one type of soap and sticking with it. Make your sprays, test spray, adjust the mix, and when you get a mix that is strong and effective, but doesn’t damage leaves, stick with it.

Start with the recipes below in 1 gallon of water. I make the spray mix in gallon empty milk cartons and fill whatever sprayer I am using when the spray is needed. This mix has an indefinite shelf life.

Soap Mix Recipe Ratios

Pure Castile or Clean Basic Soaps (1-2 tablespoons) in a gallon of water & test spray.
Increase by 1 tablespoon if you want to increase the potency of the spray.

Mild Detergents Dish Soaps (2-3 teaspoons) in a gallon of water & test spray.
Increase by 1.5 teaspoons if you want to increase the potency of the spray.

Harsh Concentrate Detergents with Strong Degreasers (1-2 teaspoons) in a gallon of water & test spray.
Increase by 1 teaspoon if you want to increase the potency of the spray.

The goal is to maximize the amount of soap or detergent in the gallon of water without causing damage to the leaves. The spray should be used to contact the insects, as direct contact is how they are killed. Sprayed leaves that dry, do no harm to the squash bugs. I simply fill a spray bottle with my mix ratios and carry it with me when I inspect the plants for eggs. Keep in mind that the young squash bugs are pretty easily killed by soap sprays. The adults seems to be most harmed by more soap and a touch of degreasers. 

They are plenty of leaves on squash and zucchini plants. Start working on you mixes early on and over a weeks time, you can maximize the amount of soap in your mix. The best time to spray is early morning or later evening.

“A Garden Wants to Give”

Cheers!

Gary (The Rusted Garden)