dad gum squash bugs!

While picking and inspecting the garden today I found this lovely sight (what was I saying about the squash just a few days ago?!) ...

This many bugs on one plant can't be good, but I had to go online to be sure.  Horror of horrors, they are the dread squash bug!  Upon closer inspection, I found that they had launched a full-scale invasion.  I found squash bug egg masses, vacated eggs, newly hatched nymphs, nymphs of many sizes (seen here), and adults all over the young crook-neck and patty-pan squash plants, as well as on some of the butternut squash plants.

I put on gloves and went to work, scraping eggs off leaves and smooshing bugs.  The underside of some leaves were covered with nymphs.  I threw those in the chicken yard.  The hens gobbled them up!  I sprayed the base of the squash plant stalks with insecticidal soap.  I suspect this is a lost cause, but I can't let those dad gum bugs take over without a fight!

Here's my gallery of photos taken on the battlefield:

Egg Mass

Newly Hatched Nymphs

Caught in the Act!

Here's a great link for identifying all things buggy:  http://www.whatsthatbug.com/

And the link for family photos of anasa tristis, a.k.a. squash bug:  http://bugguide.net/node/view/35655/bgimage