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["Lynn Wigglesworth" <lynnw1366 AT hotmail.com>]

Rob; the squash bugs, or rather the virus that they spread, I think, 
devatated all my melons and squash a three years ago. Last year I tried a 
few squash with lots of marigolds around them, and didn't see a  squash bug 
all summer. This year I've done some research and apparently squash bugs 
don't like borage, nasturiums, and bee balm, in addition to marigolds. I'm 
adding all those plants into my squash beds. If nothing else, it will be 
colorful. :-)

Lynn Wigglesworth
Tioga Co. PA
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Walton" <waltonrp AT gmail.com>
To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 1:19 PM
Subject: [Homestead] Squash Bugs


> Yuck. I hate them. Always have a problem with them. The guineas are not
> interested, neither are the hens. It's been dry here, missed last weeks
> rain. So yesterday evening, I got me niece to glove up and I watered the
> squash until they were flooded and we mashed bugs. Got all the eggs off
> leaves that we saw.
>
> I'm hoping that this year, raiding the squash bugs early on (the squash 
> are
> just starting to run) will start the war off right on my side.
>
> I did some searching and saw that Jerry Baker's book recommends growing in
> tires:
>
> http://books.google.com/books?id=UeDHKeYd0KcC&pg=PA279&lpg=PA279&dq=squash+bugs+tires&source=bl&ots=gxUWeDCgbf&sig=YEmvDULkyjMPVt8QovDVZpTfeDA&hl=en&ei=Sl4lSpuBLMWFtgeM45HrBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1
>
> Apparently, the rubber wards off the bugs. It's too late for that, but I
> took some old tires and put them around some plants, just to see if those
> squash have less bugs.
>
> Interesting, I think that you can preview that whole book on Google! 
> books.
>
> I'm going to lay some boards down this evening and see if that attracts
> adults for mashing.
>
> How do others deal with squash bugs?
>
> Rob - Va
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