Can you find the Squash Bug in the photo? Squash bugs ( Anasa tristis ) are probably the most destructive insect pest of squash and pumpkins in our area. They can also be a problem on cucumbers and melons. Squash Bugs hide under leaves and stems and may be hard to find. Sometimes they may even be low on the stem where it enters the soil. Leave no leaf unturned to find them. Watering plants forces bugs up from their soil-stem feeding position. Squash bug eggs are small, brown, football shaped structures attached to leaf undersides. If you find’em squish’em. Symptoms of squash bug infested plants include wilted leaves and / or plants and discolored leaves as well as dead or collapsing plants. Squash bugs are usually visible when watering as they emerge from the base of plants where the stem enters the soil. Squash bugs damage plants by removing sap and causing leaves to wilt and collapse. Sap removal deprives the plant of needed nutrients