We have squash bugs! And striped Cucumber beetles. And spotted Cucumber beetles. Oh no!
And two other kinds of bugs that I have no idea what they are. One resembles and aphid in its behavior. It is eating the Okra. It is a lot bigger than the green aphids I see on the lawn and it is brown. It hides along side of the stem like an aphid and slides out of sight when you try to look at it. The other looks like a praying mantis, kind of...except brown/black with spikey looking things on its legs. But the basic shape of a praying mantis. The ones I saw were small...about half inch long. I don't want to use poison! I am really trying to find a way to get rid of these guys without it! I get lots of great advice from my parents who are master gardeners...and they said have the poison ready! I am so reluctant about it, I don't have any poison on hand. Sadly, you cannot "share" with the bugs, because they insist on killing the entire plant by sucking the life out it at the base and roots of the vine. So some of the Cucumber vine still looks good, but I guess it is only a matter of time til they get that too.
I did look up organic ways to kill squash bugs and there are some pretty good ideas there. Even in a backyard garden, pests are a problem. I have been spraying directly onto the bugs with a product called Safer when I see them.
They don't seem to like it...but I am not sure that they die. I watch and go away a while and come back and they are still in the same spot looking like they are not feeling well. I think my Cucumber vine is going to die because of them. The leaves are slowly turning brown, the vines yellow and rotting right off the vine. I am not seeing them on the squash, but I am sure it's probably next. The leaves of the Cucumber are looking worse and worse each day.
I read that Nasturtium repels them, so I planted some nearby. I am not sure how close they would need to be to work or if they need to be flowering. My Nasturtiums are not growing very well. I think I will look for another type for next year and try and plant more of them! I will keep you posted if I find something that works well. I know bugs are a BIG problem this year, and one that lots of gardeners face judging by the message boards. There is a general feeling that it could be due to the weather (LOTS of water) this year. Lets hope we can get at least some of our veggies before they do!
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