Squash beetles may not be as destructive assquash bugsandsquash vine borers , but they can leave their imprint on your plants . Squash beetle are in the same worm kinfolk as the good ladybug mallet . Unlike ladybeetle that eat up other insects like aphid , squeeze beetles junket on crush leaves . Squash beetles ’ munching habits bequeath behind skeletonized leaf with reduced nutrient transferability .
Identifying Squash Beetles
know also as crush ladybird or squelch lady beetles , the squash beetle has classifiable marking that make identification simple . rid the garden of thispest , not the beneficial ladybug , starts with knowing the differences between them .
Adult Stage
The squash mallet ’s yellowish - Orange River dome - comparable mold body is or so 3/8 inch long , slightly tumid than a ladybug . Its physical structure is dotted with seven large patch on each fore-wing and four pocket-sized black spots on the pectus . The squash mallet ’s psyche is the same people of colour as its dead body .
Egg Stage
The harmful squash rackets mallet and the helpful ladybeetle adults look unlike , unlike the eggs ’ appearance . Both lay clusters of 30 - 40 yellow oblong ball on the underside of leaves . dispatch the eggs from the leaves may cut or eliminate the ladybug universe .
Larva Stage
The larvae are belittled yellow oval - shaped with pitch-black spines baffle upward from their backs . Larvae of squash rackets beetles eat on the bottom of leaf potentially doing peachy damage to the plant .
Pupa Stage
The pupae of squash beetle are plump yellow chuck that junket on the bottom of leaves . On the pupae , there are black spines left over from the larval microscope stage that excrete an oleaginous chemical , a deterrent to predators such as emmet .
Methods of Removing Squash Beetles
Squash beetles are not usually a major problem to squash plants , but still should be control . Once identify , the number of these pests can be reduced in various ways .
Homemade Solution
Sometimes the most in force insecticide is homemade . North Dakota State University Extension Service recommends making a liquidity spray that is efficacious against squash mallet . Here are the operating instructions for make this homemade insecticide :
Handpick the Beetles
An efficient method acting of rid of squash beetle is to pick them off the plant life . satiate a jounce with body of water and dish easy lay . Put the squash beetle in the jar and shortly they will perish .
Rotate Crops
Most experts suggest not planting cucurbit crop in the same localization two year in a rowing . Purdue State University suggests planting only once every three years . This will confuse the squash beetles and deter them from returning to your garden .
