How to Kill Squash Bugs

My tiny garden has actually been quite prolific this year despite the extremely hot weather and my decidedly not green thumb. The secret has been a lot of research and constant care. This revelation brought to you by the School of Duh. 

The latest issue my garden has faced is the dreaded squash bug. I am not kidding you when I say that there are a millionty billion in my garden all of a sudden and they simply will not die. I have checked out books from the library, I have read from countless agricultural-educational institutes. I have looked at random blog posts and forums. The ways to get rid of squash bugs are painstaking and enormous.

Yuck.

Neem Oil

Some sources suggest that spraying neem oil will rid your garden of squash bugs. The secret is to spray regularly, about every two days, and to make sure that it's the undersides of leaves that are treated, since this is where the nasties lay their eggs.

Soapy Water

The go-to solution for organic gardeners seems to be a soapy water solution. All that's required is a bucket, some water, some soap, and a lot more time than a normal person will ever, ever have. Basically, you pick each squash bug off of each leaf and throw it in the bucket. Repeat 9 billion times and you'll have fewer squash bugs.

Isopropyl Alcohol

A solution of rubbing alcohol and water is supposedly a great option for those wanting to kill squash bugs organically. Unfortunately, if you use too much alcohol, you can also kill your plants, or so I've read. A capful of alcohol to a gallon of water is the general consensus. If you feel like experimenting, I'd love to hear your results. I'm not ready to try it myself.

Peppermint

I planted peppermint with my squash this year to keep the squash bugs away. I learned a very valuable lesson: you have to plant a LOT of peppermint for this to work. I do believe that the squash bugs would have stayed away had I planted peppermint throughout my squash plants. Instead, I planted it along the front border, which were the only plants that were unaffected.

Of course, there are a number of chemical sprays that are suggested for the treatment of squash bugs, both organic and deadly poison. I am choosing to not mention these because they have variously been accused of being ineffective and irritating to the skin. I would not recommend anyone use something on their food that is actually harmful to their bodies. 

I actually managed to keep the squash bugs away by being very meticulous about applying peppermint to plants every few days. This kept aphids away as well. One week of vacation was all the bugs needed, though, to show up and basically decimate everything. I did read that if your plants are already healthy, the bugs shouldn't cause too much damage. I actually found this to be partially true. Despite the hundreds (at least) bugs on the plants, mine still produced more squash than my family can eat. I kept the plants around for a while, then picked the rest of the squash, and yesterday, I dug the plants up and covered the squash bug infested area in chili pepper. I plan on digging up the spot, adding a lot of compost and chili pepper, and using the former squash bed for my fall garden crops. 

Half-Marathon Training: Week Three

The past two weeks have been really crazy. I had a HUGE assignment with a big, new client that took up almost every second of my day. I'm sorry to say that the first thing that gets pushed to the side when I have lots to do is this blog. It's not a money-maker and it doesn't educate my children in anyway, therefore it is the least important. I am sorry. But, though I do have several assignments in the works right now, I have a bit more time and I plan on getting back to regular, daily updates, starting today. This week's training plan:


Week Three Training Plan:
Monday: Run 3 miles
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Run 4 miles
Thursday: Run 3 miles
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Run 6 miles
Sunday: Rest

Week Two Training Report:
Monday (3 miles): Ran three miles and improved my time. I ran an average of about 11:30 per mile, which is a significant improvement on last week's 12 mm. I felt like I could have gone faster, but more importantly, I felt like I could have fun longer. After this run, I feel like I don't need to work on speed as much as longevity because I am definitely satisfied with an 11:30 pace if it is sustainable.

Tuesday (rest): No problem resting. With a sick child and a seriously large deadline looming, taking the day off was super easy.

Wednesday (4 miles): The three miles didn't happen. I simply couldn't get out of the house fast enough so I ran three miles as fast as I could (about 34 minutes) and vowed to get out of the house earlier on Thursday for a four miler. Starting to get concerned about Saturday's five miles because we are going out of town. I may try to do the five miles on Friday instead, which means three runs in three days.

Thursday (3 miles): Didn't get out of the house sooner. In fact, didn't get out of the house at all. One day left until deadline and every second had to be used for work. I admonished myself for not running, this is a commitment I have made to myself, but at this point even an hour was too much to spare with over a dozen travel articles due in one day.

Friday (rest): I planned on hitting Wednesday's four miles on Thursday, then again on Friday. Nope. I worked on Thursday until 1 A.M., then got up at 4 A.M. on Friday and worked until 4 P.M. Mind you, that includes being interrupted roughly every 15 minutes to break up fights with the kids, yell at the kids, feed the kids, hug the kids, read to the kids, and drink lots and lots of coffee.

Saturday (5 miles): Despite the fact that we had a planned weekend of rest and relaxation, I couldn't blow off another training run. I got up in the morning and I ran my five miles in less than an hour. At four miles I seriously bruised my ankle and thought about stopping. I then thought about what I would want my six-year-old to see if he were there with me. Would I want him to see a mom who gets injured and quits or a mom who gets injured and battles through? So I finished my five miles in under an hour and limped home.

Sunday (rest): Spent the day in St. Louis at the zoo, the mall, and the Science Center. I didn't run of course, but I walked a lot. And I also ate ice cream. And french fries. Healthy eating begins again on Monday!