The plague of Anasa tristis

These are 2nd or 3rd instar nymphs, feeding on the underside of a squash plant in Elmore County. Photo by Brad Stokes.

The squash bug, Anasa tristis, is a “true bug” with piercing-sucking mouthparts that can be a nuisance to homeowners around Idaho as it feeds primarily on squash and pumpkin planted in backyards. All “true bugs” are in the Order Hemiptera and are hemimetabolous, meaning they go through 3 life stages: egg, nymph and adult.

In Idaho these insects are univoltine (only having one generation). Despite their appearance squash bugs are in the Family Coreidae (leaf-footed bugs) – they do not resemble the typical “leaf-footed bug”.

These insects overwinter as adults, much like the infamous boxelder bug and our newly pestiferous elm seed bug.

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