Bug FAQSquash Bug
Anasa tristis · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Coreidae
Also called: Orange-tipped Squash Bug
Source: Wikipedia
Adult squash bugs are about 1.5 cm long, grey-brown, flattened, with a row of alternating brown and gold spots along the abdomen’s edge. Females lay one to three batches of roughly 18 eggs and the nymphal stage lasts about a month, after which adults live three to four months.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
A row of alternating brown and gold spots runs along the margin of the abdomen.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults are about 1.5 cm (0.6 in) long and 0.75 cm (0.3 in) wide.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
These bugs are major pests of squash and pumpkins and can spread cucurbit yellow vine disease caused by Serratia marcescens.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Both adults and nymphs feed by sucking sap from leaves and sometimes fruit of cucurbit plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In the south, females lay two or three egg batches of about 18 eggs; in the north they lay a single batch. The complete nymphal development takes about 33 days.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults survive for three to four months.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is found throughout North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
The name “squash bug” is also used for other species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 46 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Illinois, Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What plants are affected by squash bugs?
They feed on and damage squash, pumpkins, and other cucurbit family plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Coreidae)
Western Conifer Seed BugLeptoglossus occidentalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Dock BugCoreus marginatus
Acanthocephala terminalisAcanthocephala terminalisHarmless
Eastern Leaf-footed BugLeptoglossus phyllopusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Giant leaf-footed bugAcanthocephala declivis
Northern Leaf-Footed BugLeptoglossus oppositusSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anasa_tristis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.