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Squash Bug - Anasa tristus   
Helen Atthowe - Missoula County Extension
 HOSTS: Cucurbits (cucumber, squash). DESCRIPTION:
Adults
are flat and brown, 5/8 inch long. Larvae are bright green, with red
heads and legs; they are 3/8 inch long; they leave yellow-green,
dusty-looking excrement piles outside holes in the vines. Both adults
and larvae stink when crushed. Eggs are bright orange and are laid on
the underside of leaves. LIFE
CYCLE: Adults
overwinter near their food source and emerge in early summer. Nymphs
hatch and feed on the undersides of leaves. They mature by mid-summer.
There are several generations per year, and the later generations are
heavier feeders than the initial one. CONTROLS:Mechanical: If populations are small, they may be handpicked. Boards may also be laid down to serve as traps; the bugs will hide on the undersurface and can be removed along with the boards. Floating row covers are the most effective control, preventive control. They must be put out as seedlings emerge or immediately after transplanting; secure their edges. Remember to remove row covers when the plants are ready to begin pollination because good pollination will not occur otherwise. Biological: In one study at the University of Kentucky, ground beetles (Carabidae) preyed on squash bugs enough to increase fruit yield by 33%. However, wolf spiders preyed upon minute pirate bugs and nabid bugs (both good predators of squash bugs) and actually increased squash bug density. |
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