Squash bug—Anasa
tristis
Adult squash bugs are 0.63 inch long, grayish or yellowish brown, flatbacked, and somewhat speckled,
often with a dense covering of black hairs. Edges of the abdomen are orange or orange and brown striped.
Nymphs are pale green to almost white.
Life cycle
Eggs are laid in the spring through midsummer on stems or on the undersides of leaves, often in the angle formed where two veins meet. The orange yellow to bronze eggs are elliptical, and are deposited on their sides in groups. Young squash bugs are wingless and pale green to almost white, later turning darker brown. Very young nymphs feed close together. Nymphs grow into adults by late summer or fall. There are several generations a year.
Damage
Leaves develop small specks that turn yellow and later brown; plants may wilt and die.
Solutions
Remove all debris from the garden once the crop is harvested
by composting or thoroughly discing or rototilling it under.
Handpick adult bugs and nymphs; search for and destroy eggs
in the spring and early summer. Trap bugs under boards near
plants at night and destroy them in the morning. Garden insecticides
are not very effective, especially on larger bugs. Insecticidal
soap or neem oil may
control the smallest nymphs.
For more information, see the Squash
Bug Pest Note. | 
Adults
are found mating in the field
Squash bug nymphs
Feeding
causes wilting of some plants
|
