Squash Bug vs Sirex Woodwasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Squash Bug Sirex Woodwasp
Scientific Name Anasa tristis Sirex noctilio
Order Hemiptera Hymenoptera
Family Coreidae Siricidae
Size 14-18 mm 15-36 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Sap Feeders Fungus Feeders
Regions North America Europe, Africa, Australasia, South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Squash Bug

A flat, dark grayish-brown bug that is a major pest of squash and pumpkin plants. When crushed, it emits a distinctly unpleasant odor similar to stink bugs.

💡

Did You Know?

Squash bugs inject toxic saliva while feeding that causes a condition called anasa wilt, which can kill entire squash vines within days of a heavy infestation.

Sirex Woodwasp

A large blue-black woodwasp that bores into pine trees to lay eggs. It injects a symbiotic fungus into the wood that feeds its developing larvae.

💡

Did You Know?

Females carry a special fungus in abdominal glands and inoculate trees during egg-laying.