Insect Control

Bob Bauer

September 08, 2016 (Last Updated: March 06, 2023) | Reading Time: 1 minutes

September 07, 2016

The leaves on the winter squash plants are turning pale and frail indicating they are about done now. It's tempting to go ahead and pick the squash because they look ripe, but it's recommended that we wait until after the frost because it will harden their skin and start the process of converting carbohydrates to sugar. Wiping them with a 1% solution of bleach will kill the mold spores and help keep them from rotting..

Storing them in a cool environment helps too..

September 08, 2016

I found a nest of squash bugs under a zucchini leaf. There were too many and they were too fast for me to hand pick. I don't have insecticides because I don't trust them. Insecticides kill beneficial insects as well as the targeted ones and don't break down to inert ingredients as quickly as we are told they do. Their side effects and duration of menace are unknown..

Some are systemic also. I sloshed a cup of gasoline on the leaf, and then to prevent their slow demise, tossed a match on it. SWOOSH. Not a recommended form of insect control but the smile on my face was worth it..

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