Hi All,
Got my first squash bug sighting on one of my zukes today. A big sucker too. What is the best organic method of making them leave?
I got Chrysanthemum spray, neam oil, hot sauce, soap, black strap sunflower seeds. I am not opposed to adding new things too.
Many thanks,
-T
What do you guys think of this stuff?
Before you start killing things, make sure you know what it is. Squash bugs and soldier bugs look very similar. Are you seeing damage (or witnessing feeding)?
Hi David,
Some, by design, synthetic pyrethrin persist for months. I am going for the organic ones and they break down very quickly.
And, bees are a real concern. A lot of us have trouble attracting them, especially with the bee colony kills off of late.
Thank you for helping me with this.
-T
As a favor, would you put your replies above the "-- " (note the space). "-- " starts the begininning of your signature block. Everything you are wiring is coming out in your signature block. And replies do not include signature blocks in Thunderbird. (There are ways around it but, it takes a bunch of hand work.)
^^^^ Place replies above this mark
Hi Drew,
Oh poop (not my "exact" word)! You may have saved me from doing something really stupid. I need all the predator bugs I can get. Thank you!
When you said they look similar, you really meant it!
Soldier bug:
Stink bug (squash bugs are stink bugs):
Last years confirmed squash bugs (all deceased):
The bug I observed saw was solitary. And I know that squash bugs are highly sociable. (Makes them easier to kill!) And, there is no sign of any bug damage anywhere.
"I stand on the shoulders of giants!"
-T
Harvested my first two zukes yesterday. Zukes straight from the garden to the pan, what a treat!
Hi David,
Funny you should say this. Last year I brought a Zuke leaf with white stains into an organic farmer and asked him what goes. I was afraid I had "white powder mold". Neem is the preferred treatment for such in these parts.
The farmer said that if the white is flat and spread out like a stain, it was just calcium from my water (which is indeed high in calcium). If it was mold, the white would be in little tiny granules.
How do you know this?
David
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A better world requires a daily struggle against those who would mislead us.
I was told this by an exterminator who was spraying for spiders at a customer's site. He almost sprayed my foot.
Hi Drew,
Spotted two soldier bugs hanging out together. Big ones too. This time I knew to look for the spots on their sides. And this time, I cheered them on. I think they were talking about the stock market. Could have been the wind though.
Thank you again for stopping me from doing something stupid.
-T
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