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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Squash bug control

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  • From: Bill Shoemaker <wshoemak AT illinois.edu>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Squash bug control
  • Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:00:13 -0500 (CDT)

>I've found a lot of varietal difference in susceptibility to squash
>bugs -- in particular, I've found buttercups and kabocha types (of
>various varieties) to be much more susceptible to them than acorn,
>delicata/sweet dumpling, and butternut types.

I think that is an important distinction. Buttercups and Kabocha are members
of the species Cucurbita maxima. Delicata are C. pepo and butternut are C.
moschata. I've noticed the same preference. I see a tendency for cucumber
beetles to have a similar preference, though not as profound. If squash bug
pressure is high, you may want to reduce plantings of maxima types or utilize
another strategy. In our region squash bugs don't emerge until mid-July most
years. Perhaps row covers could be used for exclusion? I haven't tried it,
and I'm not sure it's cost-effective, but it might be worth trying.

By the way, most jack o'lantern pumpkins are C. pepo, like delicata squash
and zucchini. Pumpkins like Big Max are C. maxima, and pumpkins like Buckskin
and Dickinson Field pumpkin are C. moschata. That info can be useful in IPM
practices.

Bill

William H Shoemaker, UI-Crop Sciences
Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
St Charles Horticulture Research Center
535 Randall Road St Charles, IL 60174
630-584-7254; FAX-584-4610




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