Emerge in spring (typically during April in southern Utah and during May in northern Utah), fly to host plants, feed, mate (Fig.Spend the winter as unmated adults in protected sites under plant debris, compost piles, around building foundations, etc.About 5/8 inch (1.6 cm) long gray to brownish black orange and brown stripes along edges of the abdomen (lower body) wings are folded over a fl at back (Fig.A partial second generation may occur in southern Utah, but that hasn’t been documented.Īdult - Overwinter, Dispersal, and Damaging Stage There is one generation per year in northern Utah. Pumpkins, ‘Hubbard’ and yellow (straightneck and crookneck) squash are more severely damaged than other squash varieties.
HostsĪll cucurbits are hosts, but pumpkin and squash are most attractive cucumber, melons and gourds are less attractive. Sustainable management relies on cultural and mechanical practices, such as crop residue removal, resistant cultivars, crop rotation, maintenance of healthy plants, and hand removal of eggs and nymphs. Squash bugs are prone to develop resistance to insecticides and adults are diffi cult to kill. Injection of a toxin during feeding has been proposed as a cause for rapid plant wilt, but no salivary toxins have been confi rmed in squash bugs.Įarly to mid season population reduction is critical to effective squash bug management. Entire plants may wilt when squash bug-feeding severs xylem vessels in vines. Feeding on fruits can cause scars and desiccated, sunken areas. Typical feeding symptoms include yellow to brown spots on leaves, and if feeding is heavy, entire leaves will turn black and dry out. Adults and immatures (called nymphs) (Fig. In the late spring to early summer, adults seek out young cucurbit plants on which to lay eggs. The insect spends the winter in the adult stage (Fig. Adults emit a foul odor when disturbed and may be called “stink bugs” however, true stink bugs are in a different true bug family. and found from Canada to Central America. Squash bug (Anasa tristis) is a “true bug” with piercingsucking mouthparts (Order Hemiptera) in the leaffooted bug family (Coreidae).