Container Gardening Complete

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 188 5/24/17 12:19 PM
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 189 5/24/17 12:19 PM

188 chapter 4

Squash Bugs (Anasa tristis)

North American geographical range: All

Identification: Adult squash bugs are^5 ⁄ 8 in. long

and dark brown or grayish in color. Their bodies

are flattened and oval-shaped. Young nymphs

are wingless and gray, with spindly legs and dark

markings. They’re often found feeding in groups.

All stages of squash bugs emit an unpleasant odor

when crushed. Eggs are bronze-colored and laid in

groups on leaf undersides.

Plants affected: All cucurbit crops, including

cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, squash,

and zucchini.

Feeding habits and damage: Squash bugs use

their needle-like mouthpart to pierce the plant

and suck out the sap. They leave behind small

specks that soon turn yellow and may lead to leaf

death. Severe infestations cause the vines to wilt

and turn crispy. Large populations of squash bugs

are often found gathered around fruit stems and

on the ground around infested plants.

Physical controls: Start by planting resistant

varieties. Use trellises to keep susceptible plants

off the ground, and cover young plants with

floating row cover until they come into flower.

Regularly handpick the adults and nymphs and

crush any egg clusters you find.

Product controls: Neem and pyrethrins are

effective when used against nymphs.

Squash bugs are one of the most problematic pests for

gardeners. Both adults and nymphs emit a foul odor

when they’re crushed or otherwise disturbed.

Squash bug eggs are oval and bronze-colored.

They’re often found in groups underneath the leaves of

host plants. Use your fingernail to crush any you find.

Squash bug nymphs are sway-backed, wingless,

and gray. They’re often found clustered together on

susceptible plants.

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Troubleshooting 189

Squash Vine Borer

(Melittia satyriniformis)

North American geographical range: Everywhere

east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States

and up into southeastern Canada.

Identification: Adults are red and black, clear-

winged moths that are active during the daytime.

They measuring 1^1 ⁄ 2 in. long and look more like

a large hornet than a moth. The larvae are the

vine borers. These chubby white caterpillars have

brown heads and can grow up to an inch long

before pupating into an adult. Eggs are flat and

brown, and are most often laid at the base of the

plant, just above or below soil level.

Plants affected: All members of the cucumber

family are potential host plants, including

winter and summer squash, pumpkins, gourds,

melons, and occasionally, cucumbers.

Feeding habits and damage: Borer damage

exhibits as rapid wilting of plants. Often frass

(the excrement of the borer) is noted at the base

of the plant; sometimes a hole is present as well.

Adults emerge from their underground pupation

in the spring. Eggs are laid soon after, and the

larvae spend just over a month eating the inner

tissue of the plant stem. There are typically two

generations per year.

Physical controls: Cover susceptible crops with a

floating row cover immediately after planting and

leave it in place until the plants come into flower to

allow for pollination. If you notice the borer damage

before the plant is killed, slice open the affected

stems with a sharp razor blade and dig out and

destroy the borer inside. Cover the cut area with soil.

You can also wrap a 1 x 6 in. strip of aluminum foil

around the base of the plant as soon as it develops

its first true leaves. Nestle the bottom edge of the

strip just below the soil surface. This covers the

most vulnerable part of the plant and keeps female

vine borer moths from laying eggs there.

Product controls: Because the borer is housed

inside of the plant itself, product controls are

difficult. But you can inject Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.)

into the base of the stem, directly into any borer

holes, and it will kill any insects inside. You can also

spray insecticidal soap around the base of the vine

on a weekly basis to smother any eggs laid there.

Adult squash vine borers are red and black, day-flying

moths. Females lay eggs at the base of squash and

melon plants.

Squash vine borer adults are deterred from egg-laying

behavior by covering the base of the plant with a strip

of aluminum foil when the plant is young.

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