Squash Bug
Damage The squash bug sucks sap from the leaves and stems of squash and watermelon and causes the leaves to wilt and then turn black and crisp. This insect can also feed directly on the fruit and cause severe damage. The adults are dark grey. They live through the winter in protected areas both under debris in the fields and in buildings and lay eggs on the underside of leaves in the spring and summer. The eggs hatch into light-green or grey nymphs that congregate on leaves or fruit. Cultural Control Crop rotation and sanitation are very important. Avoid leaving cucurbit crop debris available for overwintering sites. Till debris under in the fall and plant a cover crop. Keep headlands mowed. Next year plant cucurbits in a new field. During the summer, adults tend to congregate under shelter at night. Place boards on the soil surface near the squash bugs in the evening and the next morning collect and destroy the pest. Destroy egg masses on the underside of leaves. A parasitic fly, Trichopoda pennipes, affects adult squash bugs and sev- eral wasps parasitise the eggs. Provide a habitat for these in or near the field. If squash bugs are a problem on your farm, avoid heavy mulch or no-till in susceptible crops such as zucchini. Squash bugs like shelter and ap- pear more numerous in reduced tillage or mulched crop systems. |
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