I am on a mission. A very important mission. I will rid my yard of an enemy. An enemy that is sneaky, overwhelmingly destructive and quite frankly, extremely smelly. I have sworn to rid my environment of the disgusting squash bug! I have discovered that if I give my squash plants a quick but thorough soak with the hose, wait a few seconds and they crawl up to the tops of the leaves to dry off. Then they are swiftly but gently removed from the plant and whacked or if you prefer... sent to sleep with the fishes, bought the farm, pushing up daisies or kicked the bucket. Whatever, I don't care what you call it but they are smitherines! I need to do a quick disclaimer here to reassure you that I have not completely lost my mind and become a crazy bug killer. I was actually slightly momentarily concerned about my obsession but when I did a search online I found quotes like,
" Satan is that nasty squash bug. Not only does he want what he can't have and hasn't earned, he wants to make us miserable like he is. He wants to use us and then leave us dead. He attacks where he thinks we won't see, or where we won't notice (the underside of the leaf), and starts out small an innocent. You should see the size of these eggs - literally the size of a mustard seed! If gone unchecked, those eggs would have hatched into something bigger and much more destructive, and then where do they go? Straight to the soul of the plant!I'm also amazed at how MAD this is making me!"
Okay, well, I may be crazy but at least I'm not alone!
Seriously though, I have always had a soft spot for everything...seriously everything... (when I was a kid, I'd rotate out my toys and dolls so that none of them felt bad for spending too much time in the closet). I have been known to rescue numerous creepy crawlies from my home, friend's homes, the office and relocate them to the out of doors much to the dismay of many more squeemish friends and family members. But these nasty squashbugs have triggered some basic kill or be killed instinct in me. They attack my sweet little squash and I must destroy them!
On a happier and slightly less obsessive and morbid note, when I took a break from hunting squashbugs I was blown away by the sheer volume of flying objects in my yard...
" Satan is that nasty squash bug. Not only does he want what he can't have and hasn't earned, he wants to make us miserable like he is. He wants to use us and then leave us dead. He attacks where he thinks we won't see, or where we won't notice (the underside of the leaf), and starts out small an innocent. You should see the size of these eggs - literally the size of a mustard seed! If gone unchecked, those eggs would have hatched into something bigger and much more destructive, and then where do they go? Straight to the soul of the plant!I'm also amazed at how MAD this is making me!"
Okay, well, I may be crazy but at least I'm not alone!
Seriously though, I have always had a soft spot for everything...seriously everything... (when I was a kid, I'd rotate out my toys and dolls so that none of them felt bad for spending too much time in the closet). I have been known to rescue numerous creepy crawlies from my home, friend's homes, the office and relocate them to the out of doors much to the dismay of many more squeemish friends and family members. But these nasty squashbugs have triggered some basic kill or be killed instinct in me. They attack my sweet little squash and I must destroy them!
On a happier and slightly less obsessive and morbid note, when I took a break from hunting squashbugs I was blown away by the sheer volume of flying objects in my yard...
Comments
If you're crazy, then I am too, sister, 'cuz I will be doing it to my grubs. :P They're not stinky, but they are NASTY!
I found your blog desperate for some way to get rid of the squashbugs in my garden. Sigh. I don't want to spray any nasty chemicals, so I guess I'll keep doing what I have been...SQUASHING THE HECK OUT OF 'EM...and then feeling slightly depressed because I'm totally outnumbered. Loved your garden pictures. Beautiful. I'm in ABQ, too.