CLOSED: OMG What are they and what do they do?

I have an area that I grew Gourds and pumpkins in this year. I noticed some leaf die off and went out to check how everything looks. This plant was just covered. Not sure how many others are affected or what kind of damage these little buggers do.

They're squash bugs - as sallyg aptly put it, "named for where they're found AND for a good thing to do with them !"

http://bugguide.net/node/view/35655

They wilt leaves with digestive juices, and can spread disease from plant to plant

Thanks Claypa, I was just horrified when I went out and found them. Funny when I came back with my pic to post the first thing I saw was a very funny DG Article Beetle Battle. The wilted leaves was what drew my attention in the first place.

I thought it was funny too, but those flower beetles in the "battle" are harmless. In fact, they pollinate flowers and their larvae eat other insects. Definitely not something I'd use carbaryl/Sevin for.

Too, bad I wasn't more on top of things, last week I asked Ric if he would check out one of the Gourd plants, it was looking wilty, I though it might have a broken stem. Didn't really think to much about it. Now they have spread pretty far, wish I had caught them when it was only just the one plant. Ric doused them with something lethal this morning. Will they, any that survive bother any other plants?
Yep, That friend or foe thing is pretty hard to figure out.

HA HA HA!!! Yes Holly, they're the ones I have!! You sure got a brood goin' there tho! I try to knock them into soap water but these guys hang on the leaf pretty well, or crawl around to the other surface- sneaky. I find they are often hiding undrneath when I see a yellow portion of leaf, or even where the leaf is pretty wilted and dry. Maybe they just suck the leaf dry and cause it to collapse right over themselves

I've been growing pumpkins and gourds off and on for a couple of years. I really didn't pay much attention to them this year. My goal is to have enough nice items to decorate for fall and if I have extra, I pass them around. I pretty much ignore them until I want to decorate. I don't remember having bugs last year but I was very late getting out the plants last year. If Ric wants to do more veggie gardening next year I may not have enough space to grow them.

Hey Holly- how about that pic for bugfiles? I think it would be a good one!

I've never posted a pic to the Plant or Bug Files yet. I have a couple of MG pics, I was asked to post too. Something for me to do when I get bacj from my trip.

are you going to "J"issimmee?? tee hee

LOL, I still keep missing them. No I'm not going to kissimmee. But I might go on a search for very elusive and lost kkk key. LOL