squash bug

noun

: a large black American bug (Anasa tristis of the family Coreidae) injurious to plants of the gourd family

Examples of squash bug in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For example, you can get rid of squash bugs by protecting plants with a physical barrier like floating row covers, picking the insects off by hand, and planting marigold, calendula, sunflower, daisy, alyssum, or dill to attract beneficial insect predators. —

Deb Wiley, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Apr. 2023 For the last several years, squash bug numbers have been much higher than normal. —

oregonlive, 16 Apr. 2023 What’s the best way to squash squash bugs? —

oregonlive, 25 Mar. 2023 The squash bug mating orgies that biologist Christine Miller began noticing in gardens around Gainesville were nothing unusual. —

Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 20 May 2015 The two species are Anasa tristis, commonly called the squash bug, and Anasa andresii. —

Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 20 May 2015 The adult squash bug is flat-backed, brownish black, and measures about 0.62 inches long. —

oregonlive, 1 Aug. 2020 Tatume is mostly immune to the harmful squash vine borer and squash bugs. —

Dallas News, 30 Apr. 2020 At the beginning of the season, cover your plants with floating row covers to protect them from common culprits like squash bugs, squash vine borers, and cucumber beetles. —

Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 12 July 2019 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'squash bug.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.