The Guinea Project

The squash bugs finally got a foothold in my garden and this is what my pumpkin patch looks like now.

At least I was able to hold them off for most of the season.  There are several more pumpkins and butternut squash still on the vine.  Although, I have more than I can use, I would hate to loose these, so am hoping that the vines will live long enough to ripen what's left.

So, since the squash bugs have multiplied themselves, I have a plan for next year and it's in the works.

Guineas!  I went to pick these up today.

They're a month or two old, but will be fully grown by the time the next planting season comes around.  Supposedly, guineas eat squash bugs, ticks, and other pests, but they don't scratch up the ground like chickens do.  So, hopefully, I can turn these loose in the garden to eat the squash bugs.

So, they need a home.  In a mad dash to the finish line (which is the nephew leaving for Tennessee), I crammed in yet another project for him to finish....the guinea coop.  It is well underway.

Using up the last of the cedar.

In the meantime, we had to come up with a safe temporary place for the young guineas.  The barn is too hot so we couldn't keep them in there.  We tried the back yard, but the cats were too interested in them and we feared a casualty.  This was our solution.  In the greenhouse, sitting halfway on top of the aquaponics, hovering over the water.  We figured the cats wouldn't jump up there because of the water.

We tied it to the roof bar to help hold it up.