Garden Pest Management in Hawkins County

Gray-brown, shield-shaped bugs about ⅝″ long. When flipped over, the abdomen is orange — the easiest identification tell. Emit an unpleasant odor when disturbed, similar to stink bugs.

Adults and nymphs suck sap from cucurbit leaves and inject a toxin that causes rapid wilting and blackening. A heavy infestation can kill an entire plant. All cucurbits are targets — squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, melons.

Check leaf undersides for clusters of bronze-colored eggs (20–40 at a time). Nymphs are gray-white with black legs, up to ½″ long. Adults overwinter in plant debris — clear squash beds thoroughly in fall.

Hand-pick egg masses on sight. Row covers before flowering. Neem oil on nymphs (limited effect on adults). Fall debris cleanup is critical — adults overwinter in it and emerge ready to breed the following spring.

The adult is a day-flying moth with metallic green forewings and a bright orange abdomen with black dots — it mimics a wasp. You're unlikely to see the larvae, which are cream-colored and live inside the vine. East Tennessee has two generations per season, making this more damaging here than in northern states.

Larvae bore into stems and destroy the plant's vascular system from the inside. Seemingly healthy plants wilt and collapse almost overnight with no obvious external cause. Sawdust-like frass at the stem base is the telltale sign. Summer squash and zucchini are most vulnerable; butternut squash and Tromboncino have dense solid stems and are largely resistant.

Small, flat, reddish-brown eggs laid singly at the base of stems in early summer. Wilting that doesn't respond to watering. Frass (looks like wet sawdust) along the lower stem.

Row covers from transplant until female flowers form. Crop rotation every season — borers overwinter as pupae in the soil where squash grew. Plant Tromboncino or butternut instead of zucchini where pressure is severe. A second succession planting in early July will mature after peak adult egg-laying has ended.

Small (¼″) yellow-green beetles. Striped type has three black stripes; spotted type has 12 black spots. Both appear in large numbers suddenly in early summer on vine and bean crops.

Adults riddle leaves and feed on flowers and fruit. More critically, striped cucumber beetles transmit bacterial wilt, a devastating disease that kills cucumbers and muskmelons. A plant can look healthy one week and be completely dead the next after bacterial wilt sets in. The Diva cucumber variety (already recommended on the Variety Guide) is parthenocarpic, which reduces bacterial wilt risk by limiting open-flower time.

Row covers until flowering. Kaolin clay (Surround WP) applied before beetles appear and reapplied every 7–10 days. Crop rotation. Remove and destroy any plant showing sudden wilt — bacterial wilt spreads through beetles, not the soil, so removing the plant reduces pressure.

Metallic green beetles with coppery-brown wing covers, about ½″ long. Active June through July. Feed in groups — where you see one you typically see many.

Adults skeletonize foliage, leaving only the leaf veins intact. They attack more than 300 plant species but are especially damaging on beans, corn, grapes, fruit trees, and roses. Larvae (grubs) feed on grass roots underground through summer and fall.

Hand-pick in early morning when they're sluggish — drop into soapy water. Neem oil acts as an antifeedant; apply at first sign of activity and reapply after rain. Kaolin clay (Surround WP) provides a physical deterrent on foliage, particularly for fruit trees and grapes. Beneficial nematodes or milky spore applied to lawn areas in fall targets grubs and reduces next year's adult population. Avoid Japanese beetle bag traps — they attract far more beetles to your property than they catch.

Large green caterpillars with white diagonal stripes and a distinctive black horn on the rear. Exactly the color of tomato foliage — easy to miss until damage is severe. Adults are large, fast-flying hawk moths active at dusk.

A small number of hornworms can defoliate a plant quickly. They also feed on peppers, eggplant, and potatoes. Look for dark green or black droppings (frass) on leaves below — this tells you a hornworm is feeding above.

Hand-pick and drop into soapy water. Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki) spray is highly effective when applied to foliage — caterpillars must eat treated leaves, so apply at dusk when hornworms are active. Important: if you find a hornworm covered in small white rice-grain-shaped cocoons, leave it alone. Those are braconid wasp pupae — the wasps have already parasitized the hornworm and will emerge to seek out more. Destroying it wastes the best biological control you have.

Brown, shield-shaped bugs about ¾″ long with distinctive white banding on the antennae and abdomen edges. An invasive species from Asia, first documented in Knox County, Tennessee in 2008 and now firmly established statewide. University of Tennessee research specifically found high BMSB numbers in Tennessee.

UT Extension identifies BMSB as a severe agricultural pest capable of damaging tomatoes, peppers, beans, okra, sweet corn, apples, and peaches — most of the crops on the Variety Guide. Both adults and nymphs pierce-feed on developing fruit and seeds. Damage appears as pitting, scarring, and cat-facing on fruit, and can provide entry points for fungal disease. Early-season feeding can cause premature fruit drop.

Honest answer: BMSB is difficult to control organically in the open garden. Row covers provide exclusion before flowering. Hand-picking works but they emit a strong odor when handled — use gloves or a stick to knock them into soapy water. Kaolin clay has some deterrent effect on fruit crops. Seal gaps in your home in late summer — they overwinter indoors in large numbers and the fall invasion is the aspect most Hawkins County residents notice first.