They are most likely squash bugs, not stink bugs, since they are only attacking your cucurbits. If you can't spray then you need to go on search and destroy missions to hand kill the eggs, nymphs, and adults. Or you could grow your plants under row covers but you'll either have to hand pollinate them or grow parthenocarpic varieties.

Not sure which varieties of peppers and tomatoes you are growing but you should be able to harvest them from August (even mid-July) through October.

Rodney

Ahhh wouldn't insect-resistant varieties be nice. Unfortunately they just don't exist. Bugs are a normal part of gardening but there are ways to control them without the use of pesticides once knows for sure exactly what pest they are combating.

Dave

That's true that stink bugs would attack tomatoes, but they'd attack the fruit, not the leaves. If you don't have tomato fruit, they won't attack the plants. If you really do have stink bugs (or leaf-footed bugs, which are similar) dusting the plants with diatomaceous earth (DE) will work well. DE is inexpensive, and not a chemical pesticide. Look it up.

It's not hard to do. I spray the plants with water, then grab a handful of DE, and blow it in a cloud that surrounds the plant. A shop vac works great for that, but a leaf blower would work as well. The dust sticks to the plant, coating it pretty uniformly. Do that every few weeks, or after a strong rain.

The solution to your problem isn't insect-proof varieties (which, as noted, are largely non-existent), but safe ways to get rid of insects.

County Fair cucumber is highly resistant to the cucumber beetle wilt.

Are you not allowed to use organic pesticides either? Because neem, spinosad, and pyrethrums will pretty much take care of nearly anything trying to eat your garden, bugwise.

If its squash bugs row covers will do the trick, if you can be sure they won't be "borrowed" away from your plants. I think by the time they start blossoming and you have to remove them, most of the squash bugs are gone.

Indeed I find DE is effective on a small scale. It also adds Ca to the soil which rarely goes amiss in the east.

Those who subscribe to the notion that malnourished plants are easily susceptible to insect attack sometimes pinpoint low S as the main issue.

Another strategy is to grow a crop in the general class but different enough that it may not suffer as much predation. Examples: cowpea is less favored by MBB than common beans; some kales and collards less favored by ICM than heading cabbage/broccoli/cauliflower; edible gourd is less susceptible to pests and some diseases than the three main squash species.

food grade diatomaceous earth will kill your bugs. it is not a pesticide. google it to learn how to use it responsibly and not kill bees. also, just my opinion growing ones own food is not to save money although i save a lot doing it, growing food is to avoid store bought pesticide and gmo riddled foods

butternut squash is pest free here in zone 5

This is a thread from 2014!

May be an old thread however sometimes even old threads generate new comments :-) And sometimes those new comments need a response as well!!

Just an FYI but diatomaceous earth (DE) IS a pesticide!! A naturally occurring one but nonetheless a pesticide. If it kills pests, which it does, then it is by defintion a pesticide. I'm sure the OP as well as the person with the DE comment were referring to manufactured pesticides but there are many organic or biopesticides available for use that are completely safe on any edibles and adhere to the principles of organic gardening. DE is just one.

I can't imagine any one objecting to the use of these. Nor do I understand the comment about avoiding beneficial insects. Pretty damn hard to keep them away, IME!!

Grow peas. Nothing ever bothers my peas (except woodchucks.)

SVBs attack butternut squash with great enthusiasm down here. But our SVBs are Texas ones, wear ten gallon hats and carry shotguns. At least in these parts, the idea that Moschata are "resistant" to SVBs is true just in the sense that the SVBs have to drill a little harder.

Has anyone tried growing Blue Hubbard squash as a "sacrifice" plant for the vine borers to keep them away from the zucchini? I read that they prefer Blue Hubbard plants. I was highly disappointed last year when the vine borers got every one of my zucchini & patty pan squash plants.