"In place of Sevin or other chemical insecticides, some organic growers will use Rotenone, diatomaceous earth and Bt. They are fairly effective in controlling the larvae stage, but do nothing in hindering the adult in her egg laying activities. Since she lays her eggs singly, the chances of finding all of these single egg locations are very slim. Once the larvae is inside the vine, only extraction can prevent it from totally killing that section of the vine. Extracting the borer can be as injurious to the plant as the borer itself, and much care must be taken to prevent the entrance of diseases into the plant's system after the extraction. It is better to prevent the borer from entering in the first place, and this can only be prevented by deterring the adult moths. Other non-chemical procedures which will help in reducing borers are fairly simple practices. Since the pupae overwinter in the top 1-5" of soil, frequent cultivation before planting will reduce their numbers later. Begin this in the Fall, and continue right up until planting. Also, burning infected vines will kill any active borers that are contained in them. These practices should be followed by any grower, regardless of using chemical or organic insecticides." Here is a link that might be useful: Squash Vine Borer Fact Sheet HYG-2153-92

I have gotten somewhat cynical of all the claims about neem, garlic, EM, compost tea sprays etc. Overall I do think they can do some good but the benefits are weak so its very difficult to get significant results. If its otherwise going to waste you may as well spray it on, foliar feeding is always a good idea. This year I am doing regular foliar feeding with fish and seaweed fertilizer, basically including some in every spray I do. Molasses is another good foliar feeder. Scott

@ gardenguyvt I will answer your questions from the top down. Reread R.Engeland,Growing Great Garlic, again.I been reading it 2or3 times a year and been reading it for many years.He writes about having severe mold problems in the bulbs after harvest and not keeping till xmas even until they started leaving the scapes on till just before harvest.I was having the same problem myself till I started leaving the scapes on,now they keep till spring and I have about 200 pounds of 2 1/2" to 3" bulbs for sale but of course they have been cleaned and ready for sale.Also have the same amount in planting grade;2"-2 1/2". The descaped bulbs do get bigger,but do not keep as well which is an important feature if you want to enjoy your garlic for a longer period of time also the larger bulbs have cloves that have multiples that sprout with 2-3-4 plants and anything more than two are a real mess ie.no commercial value. As far as selling scapes at the farmers mkt.is dependent on the supply and demand, and the supply usually exceeds the demand.The most important thing to remember about growing large bulbs is to feed heavily as garlic is the second heaviest user of nitrogen next to rhubarb.I mix blood meal,fish meal,cotton seed meal,dried pelleted chicken evenup and a half ratio of kelp as its about $1#,applying one pound per 10sq.ft.of bed I only put it on the bed and then till it in.In spring when the spears begin to show fertilize again with a water soluble product such as Alaska fish using a hose-end sprayer;heavily until you get nervous and then around Mothers Day(mid-May)or do as Engeland did,foliar spray every two weeks which can be difficult when you have a lot of rain.I do best with Spanish Roja as it is more resistant to rain/mold damage and grows the largest and more uniformly than the other stiffnecks.I am not supposed to list my commercial site as I understand it but you can contact me 1.360.482.4948 BILL

I've had this exact same issue with these vines in Oklahoma, if you mow over them it's like they are releasing a toxin in the area that blinds and chokes you, I finally managed to get rid of it, use gloves and a machete or gardening sheers, it's a long process but doing it this way I was able to pull it all from the side of my house bag it up and get rid of it then finally managed to mow without any problem.