Hello and Good morning, its Time for a reply blog :)
@boondogs I absolutly will share when I find a good way to get rid of the squash Beetles. I've had issues with the beetles every year I've planted zuchinni, grey squash or yellow squash (even for a Few different pumpkin varieties) Honestly i totally spaced on trap crops for this pest issue! I've heard of them and used a few times but mostly for aphids.
If you wouldn't mind sharing, is it hubbard squash your using for your trap crop?
I looked up some other trap crops too, nasturtium, catnip, garlic, onions, radishes, marigolds, calendula, and tansy are a few mentioned. I've used marigolds on school crops before for other pests [potato beetles mainly] and they were both beneficial for removing pests and good food for pollinator species (plus they are edible, can be used for tea and in soap-making) in addition to being just pretty plants.
Last time I wanted to try neem oil, ive heard it works to smother the eggs and bugs? But wasn't able to find any when i needed it. I do have some spray neem oil now so I'll be testing that out when they show up again.
A recent one I saw, works on the eggs mostly. Take a lighter, the super mini torch type works best. Flick it on and burn the eggs. I've done this twice with other eggs that look like pest eggs. A little burn is better than a total infestation.
Another tip from a gardener friend, is to go out in the morning while it's still pretty cool, maybe even dark out with a bucket of soapy water. Flick every adult/younger life cycle into the soapy water, if possible cap and shake so they can't escape. It works, if you get all of them bit is very time consuming and physically tiring with large amounts of plant. For this method, try to cardboard placed out the night before and turn over in the morning, will help a lil bit.
Unfortunately since where im at doesn't really get freezing temperatures (very rarely frosts even) the leftover nymphs/adults that are leftover don't die. Squash bugs overwinter as adults under plant debris (this is why solarizing and keeping the garden clean is important, I'd like to leave the leftovers for soils amendment but cant.) Soil clods,rocks, log piles and buildings are all potential hibernation spots.
I've been avoiding squash plants for awhile because of this. Which sucks cause most squash-plants can provide a lot of food for fairly minimal input. As soon as I've got dirt for the new bed tho I'll likely be planting a few zuchinni.
🌱🌱Happy Homesteading all 🌱🌱
