Natural Enemies of Squash Bugs

The squash bug is a common pest of squash and other cucurbits. Pesticides can control squash bug populations although many growers in the Southeast seek alternative methods of management. One potential option is to increase natural control by adding floral resources to growing sites. Wild flower mixes were interplanted with squash and UGA entomologists evaluated the area for natural enemy and squash bug occurrence in multiple locations in a two-year study. Most plots with added floral resources had fewer squash bug adults than plots without added floral resources. The site in 2014 that had a reduction in squash bug adult abundance also had an increase in the abundance of potential enemies, including spiders, ground beetles and predaceous Hemiptera.