I’ve Never Dealt With Squash Bugs…Until This Year
…and it seems I am not alone.
This season my pumpkins attracted their very own uninvited dinner guests: squash bugs.
Judging by the lively conversation on my garden group post, 2025 is shaping up to be a banner year for these sap-sucking party crashers.
Gardeners from all over chimed in:
“I’ve never seen so many. Get that bucket of soap and water ready!”
“This year was SOooo bad! I checked twice a day and still had outbreaks.”
“They can go dormant in fall and pop up next spring if you don’t catch them.”
It’s clear none of us are immune. But there’s a silver lining: with a little planning you can break the cycle.
What To Do Right Now (Fall)
The goal this fall is to stop as many bugs as possible from overwintering.
Hand-to-bucket patrol
Wear gloves and knock bugs into a pail of soapy water.
A shop vac works if you’re squeamish or need to move fast.
Check for eggs and nymphs
Look under leaves and on stems for bronze egg clusters.
Scrape or clip off anything you find.
Clean up plant debris
Remove vines, weeds, and mulch where adults can hide until spring.
Compost only if your pile heats well; otherwise bag and dispose.
Optional: light till or solarize
Some gardeners till lightly or cover the bed with clear plastic to heat and dry the soil.
Next Spring: Set a Trap They Can’t Resist
Several experienced growers shared a clever, tried-and-true method:
Plant a trap crop of Hubbard squash.
Start seeds indoors early so you can transplant robust seedlings right after frost.
When temperatures climb into the mid- to high-70s, the first wave of waking squash bugs will flock to those plants.
Then comes the key move:
Torch the trap.
When the Hubbard plants are teeming, use a propane torch to burn the plants and about a foot of surrounding soil—destroying both the bugs and their eggs.
Once the “decoy buffet” is gone, it’s safe to plant pumpkins and other cucurbits.
Gardeners using this strategy report four years bug-free and counting.
Bonus Tips for a Squash Bug–Light Season
Rotate crops so pumpkins or squash aren’t planted in the same spot each year.
Encourage beneficial insects (like ground beetles and tachinid flies) by keeping a small patch of flowering herbs nearby.
Inspect early and often. Catching egg clusters is far easier than fighting adults.
Imperfect Gardens, Perfect Lessons
If this is your first squash-bug encounter, welcome to the club.
It turns out even the most carefully tended garden has its plot twists—and sometimes they come with six legs.
By tackling them now and planning a trap crop for spring, you can stay a step ahead next season and keep those pumpkins plump and drama-free.