Not unlees everyone else in a 40 mile radius does the same. The Squash vine borer is a strong flier. Fortunately they don't bother cukes or melons. Squash bugs (stinkbugs) are also hard to eliminate, but their numbers can be held in check with good sanitation practices. They over winter in the ground. so tilling down all plant debris including mulch just before cold weather exposes them to the elemnts and take out the majority of them. They still can migrate from elsewhere but seldom in the numbers to do more than cosmetic damage.

Then it's a waste of good garden space. And I'm itching to sow something! I think I'll try melons and cukes then, thanks for answering.

Plant some squash away from your cukes and melons to attract the pests to them. That's the trap-crop method. Otherwise, if they don't have squash, they'll look to other goodies to munch on. Ornamental millet is very attractive to squash/stink bugs. Plant both! Of course away from what YOU want.

I am going to plant some "Cucuzzi" type squash plants this year. I've read here in a search of past posts that, Squash Borers do not attack these types.

The specific seeds I am going to plant are "Zucchetta Rampicante Tromboncino" and "Sicilian Snake Squash". There's photos of a third "Tromboncino" I purchased that looks somewhat different from the others, so I bought these seeds also.

Eor years, guys at work grew their own and competed with "Googutza" (how it's pronounced in New Orleans) recipes. Many men began eating squash for the first time because of these delicious squash.

Most were picked around 9" to 12" but, the ones allowed to grow to 18" to 20" seemed to be just as tender and tasty.

I thought "trap" crops were plants that lured the target bug and killed it somehow. Like Marigolds and root-knot-nematodes. Every time I tried planting a "diversion" crop, it attracted an abundunce of the bugs I DID NOT want on my desired crop!

Floating row cover over squash, melon, cukes, whatever will protect against squash bugs and vine borer. You have to remove the cover when the plants start producing female flowers but by that time the bugs have generally moved on.

I agree with Oldroser. A floating row cover early in the season can prevent SVB, and seriously reduce squash bugs & cucumber beetles (surprised no one has mentioned them yet). The cover must be removed when the plants begin to produce female blossoms, to allow proper pollination.

As for the other squash mentioned by BigOleDude...

Cucuzzi is an edible gourd (Lagenaria siceraria). SVB may not touch it, but the bugs & beetles will. In fact, in my garden, the cucumber beetles were so attracted to it that they completely de-foliated the plants - and chewed on the stems until they died. It might make a good trap crop for striped cucumber beetles.

The Zucchetta Rampicante Tromboncino (a.k.a. any combination of those names) is Cucurbita moschata, the same species as Butternut squash. While I have read claims that SVB will attack it, they have never touched mine (attacking the Hubbards & Acorns instead). And while I have seen a few squash bugs on the young plants, they never infested them, and this variety seems to be resistant to the wilt that the bugs carry. For this reason, it has permanently replaced zucchini in my garden - and I highly recommend it. But be forewarned, the vines are quite long.

BTW, an observation from last year... if cucumber beetles are swarming on a squash plant, it is because the plant gives off a scent when it is already under attack from other sources, and that scent attracts the beetles. In every case where I found a swarm of beetles, I found at least one squash bug feeding on the stem below (usually more). In no instance did I find a healthy plant under attack by beetles.

bigoledude - good plan on the variety choices of squash. I grow both of those for that exact reason, and they have never had borer damage. They are indeed delicious and beautiful to look at.

oldroser - I must disagree with you about the SVB threat being gone by the time the plants get female flowers. At least in my zone, this is never true. We have borers flying all through July, when bush squashes are in full flower. Hand pollination is the only way to survive the month - I would not dare remove the covers.

From what I have read, floating row covers are an effective preventive for new beds, but once the bugs have attacked your plants they can overwinter and re-emerge under the covers. So nchomemaker would do best to stick with her plan to wait a year, unless she has a bed that wasn't used for squash, cukes, or melons last year. Even after a successful year fending them off, rotation would be a good idea for the same reason.

This thread has some good discussion on a similar topic.