What’s In My Backyard?

Meet the neighbors: squash bug

For the introduction to this series, see here

You might find these pests of squash plants hiding under piles of boards or sticks in winter or early spring. Once the warm weather arrives, the bugs come out and mate and then fly away to find a squash plant. The females lay eggs on the plants which hatch into small soft-bodied creatures that look a little like huge aphids. These young squash bugs suck juices out of the stems and leaves of the plant. If there are enough of them, they can seriously harm the plant. One of the best ways to control these bugs is to make sure that your plants are healthy as healthy plants will be able to cope better with the damage.