Squash Vine Borers are here in Charleston, SC

13 years ago

All my squash plants were clean last night, but this morning there were eggs.

As a novice starting out, the Squash Vine Borer (SVB) has been one of my biggest challenges. Being clueless, then frustrated, then trying to educate myself has taken a lot of time. I know this may be old news for some, but for the newbies, what I am posting about may help in identifying and dealing with this pest. You can google to see what the moth looks like. You can also google to see the eggs.

The challenge is how to deal with them. I have scoured the internet for effective proven methods, and there are none. I try to stay organic, so using a pesticide which will destroy all beneficial insects such as dragonfly, lacewing, lady bugs, etc., is not an option.

The damage to the squash plant , or Zucchini plant, is done when the egg left by the female adult wasp, matures and a small "worm" borrows through the stem to gain access to the hollow middle core of the main stem or vine of the plant. Here it spends its life protected and gorging on the inside membranes of the stem of the plant.

In my garden, the female moth has already visited. The eggs have already been laid. The eggs are deposited all over the plant. On leaves, on stems, on undersides of stems, on blossoms, everywhere. They are tiny, but easy to see and pick off and destroy. But there are so many, I suspect even the most determined gardener will miss a few. That is where I am at. I am trying my best, but I know, right now, the plants probably will not make it another month, as some of the eggs will hatch, the worms will borrow in, and make residence,and I will not know it. There are tell-tell signs of a worm inside the stem - frass, or waste, will eventually exit, usually from the hole used to gain entrance. If you can see the frass (looks like yellow sawdust), and suspect you have an active worm inside, you can remove him. You have to slit the vine lengthwise and hunt the thing down, remove and destroy it. As damaging as that sounds, it is less damaging than leaving the worm inside the stem.

Battle plans, even though I know the war is lost: I will inject BT, which is Thuricide or Bacillus Thuringiensis. I use a turkey baster or injector. It has a large needle. If I could find something smaller I would. However, the large turkey injector is probably safer - I am less likely to inject myself by accident.

This year, I will try Spinosad (actual product name is Conserve Naturalyte Insect Control). I have mixed feelings about using it, and will only use it when a pest is in the process of taking my plants. Which is now. The Spinosad is a solution which I'll mix up and spray on. The idea is the worm will take a bite of the stem as it bores in. If he ingests enough of the Spinosd, he will die within a couple days.

Anybody got any other ideas? How often will I need to apply the Spinosad?

I will be very careful not to spray inside an open flower. I was just outside hand pollinating with a brush and while I was pollinating, a small bee showed up and suggested I leave. I was very happy to oblige. There is a chance the Spinosad can affect the bees negatively, since they gather the pollen.

Sorry for such a long post. Just trying to improve my results, and help others by sharing, and asking the ones who have any additional experience and success to chime in.

Featured Answer

shebear

13 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

I usually see the female early in the morning and around dusk so you can get her then and kill her. Spray her or catch her--just get her. Then check all the leaves.

This year I planted a squash that doesn't need pollination and covered it. I'm sure she will still come to visit but I'll be waiting---armed and ready!

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Comments (9)

Donna
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I'm with you. SVB has been my biggest problem and I am looking for an organic way to handle them. I have put hoops over the squash bed with summer weight row covers over it. When the plants begin to blossom, I am going to go to the trouble to hand pollinate and keep the plants covered. This is feasible since I only have two hills of squash. In a huge bed, maybe not so much.

FYI, the borers will also lay eggs in the soil, which can overwinter and have babies waiting for next year's crop. Be sure to rotate your squash bed! Also, there are varieties of squash that are immune to these borers: moschata being one. The trouble is, the squash we like best are also the moth's favorites.

This is the method I have chosen for this year, based on what I have read on the internet and, most importantly, in this forum. I will post to let you know how it works.
sckitchen_gardener_8
Original Author
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
The summer weight row cover sounds like a good idea. I will only need 2 to 4 hills, if I can ever get them producing. Since I am hand pollinating any way, the row cover sounds like the way to go.

I am disgusted at the moment.

On the bright side, my DH bought me a bugzooka for my birthday. While it looks like a toy and some hype, it actually works. I have three squash bugs in it right now!

The squash vine borer actually flew right into me today. I chased her with a stick. I would like to have "taken her out" too.

Tomorrow will be a new day.
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I have planted Fordhook zucchini and think that it is a little more vigorous and resistant. I have used row cover and I think it can work. I start the seeds in pots and transplant them under cover in mid-May . You have to remove it at some point so that the blossoms can be pollinated (unless you plan to pollinate them yourself.) I then plant a second crop also initially under row cover that will mature after the borers have left. The row cover will not work if there are already eggs in the soil though and since I have planted squash all over my garden I don't know where they are hiding. I had great luck this year, but maybe that is because the borers were scarce. I have tried other deterrents and cures, but they have not worked. Even injected BT into the squash which did have some limited success but seemed a bit extreme. Friends grow Italian squash on vines that is resistant and they think it tastes pretty good although I prefer the taste and texture of zucchini. I have not tried nasturtiums, garlic or radishes, but I will put those on the list. It doesn't seem like a summer garden without zucchini. My second crops are usually not too productive. Does anyone have any advice on that?
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Hi Actionclaw, In my years of battling SVB, here are some of my observations: * Since I have read they lay eggs and start at the base, I usually heavily mulch my base so they cant get to it. Before I mulch the base, I inspects carefully for eggs and remove them. They are tricky and lay eggs under the leaf stems too, so checking with a small mirror helps here. But in my experience if they really lay eggs anywhere. I have seen eggs on top of leaves, on the tips of vines, on flower stalks, and under vines too. You have to check the vine very carefully. On pumpkins I will check vines and them bury the vines are they grow, with dirt. * I have found no pattern to which direction they bore, But I think most seem to be going towards the base. * On bush type summer squash I will inject as preventative, and I have found that pretty effective. I'm in Texas and we pretty much have SVB active from May to Sept, and I have certainly been able to extend the life of the bush type squashes by injecting. Vining types such as spaghetti squash, pumpkins, etc, for these I bury the vines as they grow. BT injections are just not practical because the vines are so long, and there are so many growing vine tips that fork out of the plant. But since the plants grow fast and root along the vines readily, even if the base gets taken out the plant will still live and produce. Here's my banana squash harvest! Another key here was getting an early start, so that the plants were big and strong once the SVB started.
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Thank y'all for all the information! I may throw some paint on these gourds and just roll some tangle trap on/in it just to see how it works. Definitely meant eggs not seeds! lol So if I just knock them off the plant, that's enough to ensure they don't get to the vine? Assuming they can't migrate, maybe interplanting is helping somewhat! I counted today and have 60 squash. Definitely too many to keep up with egg squishing for a long time and at this point, row covers wouldn't work for my current set up but will be something I look into in the future. Could I provide some type of home for some mason bees or something under the row covers and opt out of hand pollinating? That'd be great if it could be that easy! :) Has anyone tried Bt for SVB? I know it's not listed as effective against them but have read some anecdotal evidence that spraying & injecting work. Any one try this method? I was thinking if I do a combination of seed squishing (while it's manageable), gourd traps, & Bt I might stand a good chance @ beating them this year! I may try replanting in July just to see if it will work too! Everything usually starts to die from heat around then but I may have some other plants large enough to shade the squash sprouts/seedlings while they get started. Its starts to cool a bit towards the end of Sept so they should have time to pick up production once the heat wanes and before the Dec freeze.
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starlady
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Oh no! I'm in Columbia. I'll be checking my plants first thing in the morning! I've got some in containers and some in hills, so maybe I can use row cover if I don't have an infestation yet...
lsst
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I planted my squash yesterday and today saw a squash vine borer on one of my squash plants.
I usually do not see them for another month!
I tried to kill it but it got away.
I am in Upstate SC.
It looks like it will be a challenging year.....sigh...
potterhead2
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I'm going with the row covers and found some varieties that self pollinate (parthenocarpic) so I don't have to lift the cover too much.

Last year I tried the parthenocarpic squash, Cavilli, and it was successful until the powdery mildew hit it in August.

This year I'm trying Segev hybrid from High Mowing Seeds. It is parthenocarpic and also powdery mildew resistant!

The other success I had was with Tromboncino Rampicante. Picked immature it is a summer squash like zucchini. Can be left on the vine for a butternut like winter squash. Since it is a moshata species it is resistant to SVB. Be prepared for a very vigorous vine however!
gardengeek36091
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
The only squash I grow now are the moshata species. There are a bunch of them and they are very resistant to the SVB. I do grow some of the standard yellow straight-neck squash, but I pretty much expect to lose them at some point. When they start to wilt, I just pull them out and burn them to try my best to kill the borers. This keeps their numbers a bit lower.
starlady
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Well, I checked all my plants and didn't find any borers or eggs yet.. whew! I did think I'd found some on one of my yellow squash, but on closer examination I think they were aphids, not borer eggs. I squished all I could find and isolated that container just in case (I don't want aphids either!). Got some row cover on most of the other ones - my containers look like they're wearing surgical caps :) Definitely gonna need some more, as the plants will outgrown the small amounts I was able to put on... time for a run to a couple of thrift stores to see whether I can find any secondhand sheer curtains before shelling out for the reemay.
stargazer943
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
SVB's are the bane of my existence! I really intend to invest in row covers for my next crop. I do have Trombocino seeds, thinking about just replanting them and butternut and seeing if that works, but last year even the butternut and cushaw were decimated before I got anything. I've been putting Dipel on the plants, but not sure if it is working.

Squash Vine Borers are here in Charleston, SC

shebear

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Donna

sckitchen_gardener_8
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Squash Vine Borers are here in Charleston, SC

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