Squash Bug Eggs
Easter is the day for egg hunts: searching for decorated chicken eggs (or their plastic mimics) hidden among the foliage in the back yard. On Easter, and every other day, insects are hiding their eggs, in the soil, in cracks and crevices in the bark of trees and on the undersides of leaves. Eggs are hidden to make them harder to find by predators and parasitoids or hidden to protect them from the elements. In the insect world, egg hunts are a daily occurrence.
Squash bugs hide their eggs by gluing them to the undersides of squash leaves. The eggs cannot be seen from above. Hunting these eggs requires searching from beneath the canopy of leaves. On the underside of leaves, eggs are less likely to be dislodged by strong winds and rain. The eggs are shaded from direct sunlight, moderating the temperature and protecting them from overheating. When the fragile immature squash bugs emerge from eggs, the underside of the leaf offers many protections. Hiding on the underside of leaves makes it more challenging for humans trying to control damage to our vegetables.
