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.