How to Get Rid of Squash Bugs in the Garden

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Here is how to get rid of squash bugs from your garden, save those squash plants from their hands, and have the vegetables you want in your diet.

Yes, these bugs can create huge damage to squash plants like cucumber, pumpkin, zucchini, and others by eating their leaves and sometimes, the fruits.

So how do we stop them or kill them so that we can have relief and know that the effort we put into growing those vegetables will not go in vain?

Well, this is all this article is about, and I will give you some natural DIY hacks to kill and repel them without harming your plants and a few light chemical solutions to kill them all.

I will also tell you how to prevent squash bug infestation in the future. So stick with me!

squash bug on flower — Katja Schulz from Washington, D. C., USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to Get Rid of Squash Bugs in Your Garden

Now follow these DIY tips step by step to repel squash bugs in your garden. We start from the basics.

Handpick them: Yes, handpick them one by one if you see a few of them roaming about your plants.
Look for their eggs, nymphs or babies, and adults on the leaves, stems, and fruits of those plants.

Wear a glove and slowly kick them out in a container then kill them all together. But if you have a larger infestation, then this may not work, and you have to follow other hacks.
Plant other pest control plants with the squash plants: Get a few marigolds, radishes, or lavender and plant them in between the squash plants.
Those plants will release a scent that no pest will able to tolerate and they will leave your garden as soon as possible. So plant them today.

Spray neem oil: Mix neem oil with water and spray it on the leaves, stems, and fruits.
Neem oil is a natural insecticide that can repel all the insects from the garden without harming the plants. This oil will suffocate the squash bugs and kill them. Try it.
Cover your plants and fruits: Get a few row covers and hide the plants so that those squash bugs can not jump on them easily and eat their plants.

Yes, they can break the cover, but it will be difficult for them and most likely they will not. You can buy these covers online or from your nearest store, or you can build them at home using wood or metal mesh and then put on a fabric to make a cover. That’s it!

So these are the best natural remedies to save your squash plants from those bugs.

Yes, there are other ideas that people use but these are the most effective ones. If you are a gardener then you know what else may work. Use your creativity.

How to Kill Squash Bugs

Now I am going to give you a few light chemical solutions that will kill them all in a few days.

But you must use them carefully as they may harm the plants.

Only use them if the above ideas are not working. Okay!

Diatomaceous Earth Powder: Buy this powder online and spread it on the plants in very small quantities.
It is made from fossilized diatoms that normally do not harm the plants.
But I would say do not take the risk and use it in small quantities to kill them. It will dehydrate them and eventually kill them if they lick on the powder.

Use Pyrethrin: This is an organic pesticide that you can buy online as a spray. It is made from chrysanthemum flowers.
It targets the nervous system of the pests, makes them go mad, and then slowly kills them.
You can use it and the diatomaceous earth powder for all kinds of pests in your garden.

Buy Insecticidal Soap: It is a special soap that is made from natural ingredients and works by suffocating the squash bugs.
Mix the soap with water spray on the plants and do it for a few days to kill them all.
You can also use normal daily soap, but the effect will be less.

Garlic spray: Garlic is not a chemical, but it works as a chemical and can kill plants if used in large quantities.
Mix garlic pest with water and spray in small quantities and those bugs will leave the area as they cannot tolerate the scent of the garlic.

As you can see I have tried not to use any harsh chemicals but those made from organic matter so that your plants do not get dry and die, destroying your efforts.

So get one of these and see what happens.

How to Prevent Squash Bug Infestations in Your Garden

Now I will tell you how to stop those bugs from coming to your garden in the first place so that you do not have squash bug problems in the future.

Follow these tips.

Rotate the crops: The best way to save your plants from squash bug infestation is to use crop rotation.
Do not plant squash plants in the same area every year.
But plant them in different areas so the bugs do not know where it is and their cycle gets disrupted and their population reduces.

Clean your garden beds: Remove all the fallen leaves, debris, and fallen fruits from the area so they do not attract those bugs.
Clean the garden regularly to have bug-free plants.
This one is basic, but still, most people do not follow it hence the infestation.

Attract killers: Ladybugs and lacewings are known as squash bugs and aphid killers.
Invite them into your garden so they can eat those bugs up and control their population naturally.
Plant flowers like Daisy to attract them