Squash Vine Borer
Well I thought it was a wasp. Now I wish it were a wasp! In fact I think that I would rather it had been a wasp, and that it stung me and left me alone to suffer the pain of the sting. I grabbed my camera, and of course I was thinking that it was something that could attack me.
So I carefully watched it fly from squash to squash with a specific interest in only the squash, deftly avoiding all other vegetation.I captured several pictures and loaded them on the computer and began my research and discovered what may be one of the most devastating insects to squash, the dreaded Squash Vine Borer, a moth, but not just any moth. I have to decide what my next action will be to control these insects. Follow the links for my references.
Destructive Beauty on Flickr – Photo Sharing!
Squash Vine Borer Management in Home Gardens
Hey squashed,
I have heard about these guys in Organic Gardening Magazine. They say when you see an adult vine borer, you should inspect the vines at the juncture of the ground and vine, to see if there is a borer present. If there is you’ll see what looks like sawdust and sadly, what they say to do is to take a knife and split the vine (up and away from the roots) until you find it/them. You kill it/them and try to save the plant. They say if you can put the split vine next to the dirt that it can root again, however, they report mixed success with the salvaged plant. This late in the season, you can guess what my suggestion would be. Pull the plant up, kill the vermin and sift through the dirt with your hands to try to find any more of them. They live in the dirt between 3-6″ down and look like grubs with dark brown heads. Of course, this is the organic solution. You can probably find some sort of insecticide….but I’m not familiar with any of them. Again, my condolences on your loss.
KathyB, you are so right with your assessment including the action of pulling them and clearing the soil. My research results were nearly verbatim to your comment and recommended action. I’ve also seen on the ground what appears to be the casings of worms that have apparently already completed its metamorphosis. Also I had already cut main run of a zucchini and trimmed away the rotted portion and planted it. Today, nearly 3 days later, as expected -the mature leaves have wilted unto death but I have new growth on it so I am hopeful.
…Squashed
Well, silver lining is that you found them before they decimated all you squash plants. I have also read that some people plant their squash hills in various places in their gardens. Not all together, as this discourages the micro-climate that allows those bad boys to go from one plant right onto another. and ruin the entire harvest of squash. Dang borers.
Wow. Gardens are sounding more & more like war zones. Gardeners vs. Soil/Worms/Beetles/Birds -oh my. I suppose a more accurate portrayal would be Gardener vs. Nature…
Keep it up, gardeners! Those of us who hope to try one day will be better for your efforts and shared experiences. So… thank you, in advance.
Lamont, You can use beneficial nematodes to fight the squash vine boreres. Nematodes are the super tiny wormlike creatures that live in the soil. There are the nonbeneficial ones that I fight called root knot nematodes that twist up carrots and make a mess of plant roots, and then there are the beneficial ones that you can use to control some insect pests. These are very beneficial ones you can purchase from GardensAlive.com called Nema-Ject Nematodes. They come in a syringe and you inject them directly into the hole that the vine borer made. No having to cut up or pull out the squash plant. It’s a natural solution, no chemicals, all organic. It won’t save the plant you’ve already treated, but could spare your others.
Hey Lamont,
I just read a reader’s letter from Organic Gardening (January issue) about squash bug preventatives. She said that someone had recommended grinding up onions and garlic in a blender, adding water and spraying the squash frequently with this mixture would keep the bugs away.
She decided to try planting a couple of onion bulbs in each hill of squash and cantalope, too. As an added precaution she cut the tops off of a handfull of onions and dropped little pieces of them around and on the plants. She said she hasn’t had any squash bugs for years. She lives in Abilene Texas. I wonder if this would be beneficial in Tucson? Think I’ll try this with my next squash plants.