I attended an art workshop this past week. Spending a few gorgeous days traipsing around Flaming Gorge National Monument Plein Air Painting was a break I really needed. I met some wonderful people and fellow artists. Spent a few nights camping in my classic, vintage Avion trailer. Watched three bucks, their horns still in velvet, come right into camp early one morning. I had to stand still and couldn't run and grab my camera to take their picture.
I did however snap a picture of these critters after I got home. It is amazing how fast they can take over your garden while you are away for a couple of days.
The best time to catch squash bugs is early in the morning when they crawl out on the leaves to soak in the warmth from the sun.
I get a large garbage bag (black ones usually work better as they absorb more heat) and carefully break off the leaves with large colonies of bugs and place the leaves in the bag.
Check under the leaves for eggs. I do not squish them, I will generally remove the whole leaf or just tear out the portion of leaf the eggs are on.
Tie the bag tight and leave in the sun to heat up. The bugs will soon die.
Now for the last line of defense. Get out your shop vac and vacum up the remaining bugs. Fill the tank with hot soapy water, thus drowning the bugs. My sister, Trudy, gave me this great tip. I don't have squash bugs at the big farm, but here in Roosevelt I do and I was asking her how she got rid of them. Great Idea and it works! You do however need to check every few days for newly hatched bugs.
BUG BLASTER!
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