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Herndon, VA

What insect are these from? They were found underneath one of the seedling's first leaves, although the plant is over a month old now. I have posted a picture in todays's grower diary. This plant is in a somewhat remote location so I can't really watch the plants daily to inspect for intruders. I figure anything laying eggs on my plant can't be good. Also, I have placed the leaf in a jar hoping to see what emerges. Please help.

5/15/2001 3:38:06 PM

Modesto, CA

Sounds like the eggs are from squash bugs. In my book, it says that squash bugs lay brick-red eggs in masses or clusters on leaves. It was a good idea to keep the leaf in a jar to see what hatches. I would just make sure there aren't any other eggs on the leaves and keep an eye on your plant to see if you can find the intruder. Good luck! P'kingrower= Monica

5/15/2001 4:11:26 PM

Los Alamos NM

The eggs tend to start out lighter colored and then they darken until they hatch. I have had good success using seven to control them. They are very hard to get rid of if you let it go and end up with lots of them. Try to scrape off any eggs you find. This is what works best for me to keep them under control.

5/15/2001 6:14:22 PM

Herndon, VA

Thanks for the quick advice!! I looked in my book, and the description matches them exactly. I somehow missed it when I was skimming through the chapter; probably because I was also in a slight panic at the time. :) I will inspect all leaves thoroughly, and spray the plant and surrounding mulch tomorrow. Thanks again. Bruiser.

5/15/2001 7:51:54 PM

CT

Hi Bruiser,

Yes, you are right. Those are squash bug eggs. We have a good photo of them in our diary from last year. We also watched them hatch in a plastic baggie. Scraping them off is difficult without damaging the leaf because the eggs are actually pierced through the leaf. You can see this under a microscope. We had them all season long. The adults are quite big and seem to be somewhat resistant to sprays. They are also known as stink bugs. We had our best luck spraying the newly hatched nimphs. They seem to hang out in a group on the leaf for a little while before venturing out on there own. That's when we hit them good with the spray. The battle begins! Good luck - RVSK

5/16/2001 4:41:34 PM

Billerica,Massachusetts

I have used a spray bottle with dish soap and water to kill squash bugs just spray it on them, but the trick is don't let a large population of them get established in your garden, put down a board or two around your plants the squash bugs will hide under them, pick them up and put the bugs into a cup of soapy water also do the same with the eggs.

Glenn Peters

5/17/2001 8:33:29 AM