I think I have stink bugs eating my zuccinis!
They were like little skinny centepedes about 1/2" to an inch long and smelled
real funny when I smooshed them into the hell they deserved.
Is there a good way to kill them without killing yourself? I got down on all
fours for 2 of the plants but I cant be sure I got them all and I got 20 more
squash plants to protect.

Please help me

Jack

Jack1000 wrote:

I think I have stink bugs eating my zuccinis!
They were like little skinny centepedes about 1/2" to an inch long and smelled
real funny when I smooshed them into the hell they deserved.
Is there a good way to kill them without killing yourself? I got down on all
fours for 2 of the plants but I cant be sure I got them all and I got 20 more
squash plants to protect.

Please help me

Jack
My squash bugs (AKA stink bugs) and I have a daily battle. Wet the
plant for about 6 seconds with water (which they dispise) and watch
for them to come running up the stalks, then squish - Peeeeeeuuuuuu!
Also look on the underside of the leaves, especially in the
crotches of the leaf veins for their egg clusters, small patches the
size of a dime at most of little brownish dots(eggs) and squash them
too.
I've successfully used Sevin on them in the past but prefer to whine
and complain about squishing them and them stinking my fingers up,
at least until I get really madG.

From what I've read it seems they inject some substance into the
base of the plants and this is what destroys the fruit and the
plant, so I do the water thing once or twice daily to catch them.
They don't eat the plant, just destroy it. Why did God make such
creatures?

"John DeBoo" wrote in message
Why did God make such
creatures?

I dunno, maybe to keep us from being overwhelmed by too squash, cucumbers
and melons.
Len

I went back down to my plants to get a closer look at my problem and to get a
sample of the bugs to bring to a garden center. I then found a diferent bug. At
the base of the plants there seemed to be some rotting or damage to the stem.
While rooting around in the stem I found a grub about 1/2" long with a black
face. I took the bugs in a zip lock to be identified and they told me not to
worry about the centipeds. They told me the grub on the other hand was a stem
borer and I would have to try to get rid of them by taking a thin wire and
following the insects trail into the plant and trying to scure the little
*******s to kill them.
They also told me that it was a short 2 or 3 week season for these bugs that is
running late because of the wierd weather we had in the spring up here in the
northeast. Then they said to avoid further infestation I should cover the base
af my squash plants with ash or diatomatious earth or even pool sand.

live and learn

Jack

I think I have stink bugs eating my zuccinis!
They were like little skinny centepedes about 1/2" to an inch long and
smelled
real funny when I smooshed them into the hell they deserved.
Is there a good way to kill them without killing yourself? I got down on all
fours for 2 of the plants but I cant be sure I got them all and I got 20 more
squash plants to protect.

Please help me

Jack

On 24 Jul 2003 19:36:43 GMT, (Jack1000)
wrote:

I went back down to my plants to get a closer look at my problem and to get a
sample of the bugs to bring to a garden center. I then found a diferent bug. At
the base of the plants there seemed to be some rotting or damage to the stem.
While rooting around in the stem I found a grub about 1/2" long with a black
face. I took the bugs in a zip lock to be identified and they told me not to
worry about the centipeds. They told me the grub on the other hand was a stem
borer and I would have to try to get rid of them by taking a thin wire and
following the insects trail into the plant and trying to scure the little
*******s to kill them.
They also told me that it was a short 2 or 3 week season for these bugs that is
running late because of the wierd weather we had in the spring up here in the
northeast. Then they said to avoid further infestation I should cover the base
af my squash plants with ash or diatomatious earth or even pool sand.


I'm in the northeast too, and we've had a disastrous year:
but the zucchini and summer squash are going great guns: NO
apparent bug problems so far. keeping my fingers crossed

I'll keep a close eye on them for the next couple of weeks.
Thanks.

Pat

[Jack has already identified the *real* villain, but I'm still curious
about the smells of these bugs.]

On 24 Jul 2003 13:14:00 GMT, (Jack1000) wrote:

I think I have stink bugs eating my zuccinis!
They were like little skinny centepedes about 1/2" to an inch long and smelled
real funny when I smooshed them into the hell they deserved.

That sounds more like a millipede. What was the smell? Something
along the lines of almond-- or more like pineapple?[my favorite
'stink' bug, which snacks on my maple trees, smells like pineapple-- I
never found a squash-eating one, so I don't know what they smell like]

Some millipedes [which won't harm your plants] have an almondy smell.

Squash/Stink bugs, which might, in great numbers, harm your plants,
don't look at all like centipedes.

Here are some stats on stinkbugs-
http://www.extension.umn.edu/project...02.html#squash

Jim

The millipedes usually eat just decaying plant matter, which means you
probably have a good deal of humus and a buch of dead leaves etc around.
They rarely do damage to healthy plants. They are opportunistic and may
attack a plant already damaged by some other critter. Basically, they're
like those little pillbugs, rolly-pollys, whatever you want to call them
(although not related to them at all). If you have some plant damage, I'd
start looking for some other culprit such as squash bug or vine borer or
stink bugs (they really stink!)
Gary
"Jack1000" wrote in message
...
I think I have stink bugs eating my zuccinis!
They were like little skinny centepedes about 1/2" to an inch long and
smelled
real funny when I smooshed them into the hell they deserved.
Is there a good way to kill them without killing yourself? I got down on
all
fours for 2 of the plants but I cant be sure I got them all and I got 20
more
squash plants to protect.

Please help me

Jack

Pat Meadows wrote:

On 24 Jul 2003 19:36:43 GMT, (Jack1000)
wrote:


I went back down to my plants to get a closer look at my problem and to get a
sample of the bugs to bring to a garden center. I then found a diferent bug. At
the base of the plants there seemed to be some rotting or damage to the stem.
While rooting around in the stem I found a grub about 1/2" long with a black
face. I took the bugs in a zip lock to be identified and they told me not to
worry about the centipeds. They told me the grub on the other hand was a stem
borer and I would have to try to get rid of them by taking a thin wire and
following the insects trail into the plant and trying to scure the little
*******s to kill them.
They also told me that it was a short 2 or 3 week season for these bugs that is
running late because of the wierd weather we had in the spring up here in the
northeast. Then they said to avoid further infestation I should cover the base
af my squash plants with ash or diatomatious earth or even pool sand.



I'm in the northeast too, and we've had a disastrous year:
but the zucchini and summer squash are going great guns: NO
apparent bug problems so far. keeping my fingers crossed

I'll keep a close eye on them for the next couple of weeks.
Thanks.

Pat

I can send you some if you'd like to participate in the daily battle
with themVBG.

(Jack1000) wrote:

I went back down to my plants to get a closer look at my problem and to get a
sample of the bugs to bring to a garden center. I then found a diferent bug. At
the base of the plants there seemed to be some rotting or damage to the stem.
While rooting around in the stem I found a grub about 1/2" long with a black
face. I took the bugs in a zip lock to be identified and they told me not to
worry about the centipeds. They told me the grub on the other hand was a stem
borer and I would have to try to get rid of them by taking a thin wire and
following the insects trail into the plant and trying to scure the little
*******s to kill them.

Ayup. Squash Vine Borers, my sworn mortal enemies.
Between the squash bugs, vine borers, and the cucumber beetles, I've given up
feeding them this year.

Dave.