Squash Bug
Anasa tristis
When threatened, squash bugs release a volatile alarm pheromone from thoracic glands that smells like industrial bananas or old gym socks to deter predators.
- Scientific name
- Anasa tristis
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Hemiptera › Coreidae › Anasa
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- urban
- Habitat
- Agricultural fields, backyard vegetable gardens, and areas with dense cucurbit plantings.
- Diet
- Plant sap, primarily from squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, and melons.
- Range
- North America, Central America
- Size
- 1.3 to 1.6 cm (0.5 to 0.6 inches)
- Lifespan
- About 1 year
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Pesticides, predatory insects (such as tachinid flies), and extreme winter freezes.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to humans. They do not sting and rarely bite, though they can emit a foul, sweetish odor resembling rancid bananas when disturbed or crushed. Safe to observe or relocate by hand; wash hands with soap and water if they release their defensive scent on your skin.
Anasa tristis of the family Coreidae is a major pest of squash and pumpkins, and is a vector of the cucurbit yellow vine disease bacterium. These bugs can emit an unpleasant odor when disturbed. It is commonly known as the squash bug but shares this name with certain other species.
Photo: Even Dankowicz, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/f70d5f42-88c1-4a64-ad17-578725438d78.md