Squash Vine Borer season-

14 years ago

Do we have a specific season or seasons for SVB in the Valley? I'd like to know the best time for planting all of my cucurbits/squash varieties to best avoid the SVB.

Of course, I've already planted and have stuff that's 4 inches high but I'm considering second/third plantings and back-up plans for my favorites such as muskmelons, armenian cucumbers, etc.

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Comments (36)

User
14 years ago
As I recall ... they lay eggs in late May and much of June.

They aren't always a problem, especially if you leave the squash bed exposed for the birds to dig the grubs out.
MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
14 years ago
Those little buggers decimated a crop two years ago and I was soooo mad. I did some research and found recommendations that if you slip the early vine starts through a piece of pantyhose, secure the bottom of the hose in the dirt, the SVB cannot enter the vine. I tried this last year using old knee-high type hose with the toe cut out and then the hose cut in half. Had NO SVB's. Did the same this year but it's too early to tell if it's working again.

I'm hopeful.
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Nice link, and a very good article. The ATTRA publications are very useful for organic gardening... I still haven't worked my way through all of them. SVB is terrible in my area, and would kill up to 100% of my C. pepo and C. maxima squashes without protection. For the past 3 years, I've applied floating row covers over those squashes after planting (I use transplants). The row cover is buried at all edges, and remains on until female flowers have appeared, or until the vines outgrow the cover. This appears to protect the plants during SVB egg laying, because I've had no infestations at all on covered plants. Not only that, but there have been very few squash bugs, and the population of cucumber beetles is much reduced. I could not grow squash reliably without this method. A couple of my own observations. As quoted from the article, ..."Supplemental fertilization may be necessary to promote the vigorously growing plants that can tolerate one or two borers and still produce a crop through additional rooting along the stem." My own observations have been that fertilized squash plants seem to be more attractive to squash bugs & cuke beetles. This would seem to make sense, since the compounds which attract the insects might be released in larger quantities, under the more rapid growth caused by the fertilizer... particularly the high-N fertilizer that stimulates heavier foliage. Because of this observation, I stopped using fertilizer on my squash two years ago, and the pest pressure has been much less than in previous years. Unfortunately, my yields without fertilizer have also been noticeably lower. It may be that low-N fertilizer, and/or later application, might offer the best of both worlds... I will be experimenting further in that direction. "The buttercups always seem to develop supplemental roots, never the moschatas which are resistant anyway. The more I work with OP summer squash (C. pepo), the more I see stem re-rooting, which really does help them survive borers. The OP yellow crookneck from Fedco ran 14 feet and rooted like crazy." The tendency to root at the nodes is present in all squash species, but varies by variety. I grew some of the smaller Butternuts, which were very reluctant to root. "Tahitian", also C. moschata, roots aggressively. One year, I hybridized a Butternut with "Tahitian"; the resultant seed produced very large butternuts, and vines that rooted heavily. One of the rave reviews on the Cornell site for "Zucchetta Rampicante" is mine. ;-) It roots very aggressively. Some years it gets attacked by SVB (I can see the frass) but it seems to kill the larvae, and the vines show no sign of infection later in the season. Squash bugs also might attack it when the plants are young, but once established, nothing touches it. Oh, another pest observation. When I see swarms of cuke beetles attacking a particular plant of "Zucchetta", I nearly always find a mature squash bug attacking the stem. The reaction of the plant to this attack - and its weakened state - appears to attract the beetles. The single squash bugs are easily killed with a soap spray. Last year, I grew several naked-seeded C. pepo pumpkins for trial. The semi-bush "Kakai" was very reluctant to form roots; and it has been very susceptible to SVB for me in the past. "Little Greenseed", on the other hand, had long vines & rooted wherever it contacted bare soil. If SVB attack can't be prevented, choose varieties that have demonstrated good rooting potential.
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Hazel, I grow as much of our food as I can, and that means spending tons of time preserving the harvest (via canning, dehydrating, blanching/freezing and root cellar type storage) so we'll have home-grown produce year-round. I buy a mixture of organic/non-organic food from the grocery store. I'd love to buy only organic food but we have a budget to live within and it does not allow for only organic food. I do not know if non-organic foods are less healthy and will leave that debate to the food scientists. What I do know is that I'd rather eat food that was grown in the most natural way possible. For me, eating as much naturally-grown food as possible is a personal choice. I am a 16-year cancer survivor and as soon as I was diagnosed with cancer, I began eating only an organic vegan diet. The vegan part was really hard for me because I grew up in Texas and love meat, especially beef. My family wasn't crazy about a vegan diet, but put up with it (at least when they ate at home) for me. After about 6 months, I began adding meat and dairy back to our diet. We still eat healthier that we used to but not as healthy as we did during those six months. When the National Organic Standards Board was developing the standards to be used by certified organic growers, there was much debate and compromise. Some organic food advocates felt the standards were watered down and weren't completely happy with the standards as written and implemented. Some organic advocates were disappointed and felt the organic standards were too lax and were quite vocal about that. I watched the debate with interest. For me, though, I'd rather eat organically-grown food even if the standards under which it is grown are somewhat less than perfect. One reason I grow as much of our produce as I can is because that is the only way I know exactly what was or wasn't sprayed on it. If the choice is between a strawberry grown in our garden with no chemicals sprayed on it versus a conventionally-raised strawberry that may have been sprayed with various synthetic products from 1 to 3 times a week, guess which one I'd rather be eating? Just because a pesticide, herbicide or fungicide is organic in origin does not necessarily mean it is safer than a pesticide, herbicide or fungicide that is synthetic in origin. There are some organic products I've never used and never will use. I'm planting my 18th spring garden right now (my first was planted a year before we broke ground for the house), and I have used a synthetic pesticide once (last year, to save the garden from huge hordes of grasshoppers) and it almost killed me. I won't say I'll never use a synthetic pesticide again but I hope it will be another 18 years before I feel like that is the only option left to save my garden. I even use organic pesticides sparingly and, in fact, most years I don't use them at all. I use them very selectively and only for the worst of pests. Sometimes I'll spray neem oil, for example, on one specific plant that has a pest issue but won't spray the whole garden or even that whole row. I'd rather hand-pick and use other methods to remove the pests. I never spray Spinosad because it is a broad-spectrum pesticide that can harm some beneficial insects, but I'll use it in a granular product (Slug-Go Plus) that I sprinkle on the ground to kill pill bugs and sow bugs. I also use a granular organic fire any product that contains Spinosad. Other than neem and Spinosad, I sometimes use a product containing Bt 'kurstaki' on brassicas and that's about it. I mostly rely on our population of beneficial insects to help keep the pest levels low, and on hand-picking bugs or using floating row covers to exclude them from crops. I think that produce grown in the most natural way possible tastes better, and we all know that produce fresh from the garden is the best-tasting, healthiest food around. I like being able to harvest in the morning and then use some or all of that harvest in the meals we eat that day. And, on the list of what really matters, the use of synthetic pesticides bothers me the most. I have less of an issue with synthetic fungicides or fertilizers. I think every gardener has the right to grow their plants, whether ornamental or edible, in whatever manner they choose. I just choose to grow mine as naturally as I can. When I first transitioned from conventional gardening to organic gardening in the 1990s, I essentially kept gardening exactly as I always had with the only change being that I was substituting products that were organic in origin for those that were synthetic in origin. After moving here, I began to take steps to go beyond that and that was the beginning of my progression to go sort of beyond merely growing organicallyand focus more on gardening in the most natural and sustainable way. Whether you will be pleased with the winter squash/pumpkins you chose as fall decorations depends on whether you think all autumn pumpkin displays must include big orange pumpkins. I love all the C. moschatas for fall decorations because I like their various shades from buff-colored Seminole to the almost brownish-buff color of Musquee de Provence. For 7 or 8 years before the squash vine borers found us here, I always grew huge numbers of winter squash and pumpkins in all colors---including orange, yellow, white, buff, green and some that were speckled, splotched, striped or warted. It was fun while it lasted and they made great autumn displays, but the SVBs have made it impossible for me to have that wide variety of colors now, so I am content with the colors of the C. moschata group, which mostly are in a range of buff-colored shades. Having become used to what I have now in terms of sizes and colors, I am content with pumpkins that aren't traditional jack-o-lantern types. And, sometimes I want a big orange pumpkin in the fall and plop it down in the middle of the display with my home-grown ones. Dawn
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User
14 years ago
I'm having a hard time picturing that ... is the panty hoce covering the stem or the dirt?

Any pics?
MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
14 years ago
The panty hose is embedded in the dirt and drawn up over the stem - as if the stem were your leg for example. The hose surrounds the stem like a loose girdle. I can try and get a picture later if this doesn't make it clear.
greendesert
14 years ago
Sounds like way too much trouble to me. What's next? fashion pantyhose especially made for squash? I think I saw the moths around and they did a number on my squash last year. I say organic shmorganic, time to nuke the heck out of all of them. I'm tired of this crap. I hate using chemicals, but I'm NOT going to share my garden with those disgusting vermin. They can just take a sip of Sevin and die. I just learned that I'm getting some chickens as a result of someone who can't keep them anymore because of their HOA. Too bad they can't be trained to only eat garden pests and leave the garden alone.
tracydr
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks lazy gardens! Hopefully, I missed the season since my stuff just came up last week and just planted a few more this week.
I'm really looking forward to trying Armenian dukes and patty pans for the first time. Plus I love squash soup so I'll be freezing or canning as many of the winter squash as possible.
For Greendesert- Sevin is not an option. It's an organophosphate (nerve gas for ex-military types). I'm trying to get pregnant at a late age so chemicals of any kind are off limits in our household.
MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
14 years ago
If there are any chemicals in the panty hose that I doubt they will leach into the soil. greendesert, I find that, compared to some garden tasks, slipping a piece of fabric over a young seedling is hardly any trouble at all. YMMV.
tracydr
Original Author
14 years ago
If they lay eggs for much of June maybe I need to consider the panty hose or row covers. As we're only talking about less than 10 plants (I don't think I have to count the cucurbits) it shouldn't be that bad. Mary, do you have any kind of picture of your panty hose set up? How long do you cut it and when do you apply it to the seedling? Most of mine are 4-6 inches long right now.
Also, anyone have a good iron supplement that works a little faster than ironite and that is organic? Some of the squashes are looking a bit anemic and they're in a container with runner beans that have a very anemic look to them. I think they're in a need of a boost of some minerals.
I'll added some ironite already but not sure if that gets to them very quickly? Maybe I'm not using enough? I've never had to deal with iron issues and high pH before moving to AZ. I've always had high iron, low pH in Oklahoma.
MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
14 years ago
The panty hose are maybe 6" long and slipped on when the seedlings are young, 3-4", maybe 6". I'll try for a pic in the morning but everything is very bushy now and not photogenic because the early stem is buried in foliage. :~:
MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
14 years ago
Here you go, panty hose deters SVB's!!

{{gwi:404553}}

Another shot:

{{gwi:404555}}

Remember, all you are trying to do is block the bug from entering the stem from the soil. Droopy panty hose are okay in this usage. :~) I try to make sure the bottom end is anchored in the soil.
tracydr
Original Author
14 years ago
OK. MaryMCP, you've convinced me. I don't have any old panty hose to speak of but I will be buying some bargain priced ones and giving my squash some droopy knee highs this week. What a wonderfully creative solution to such a horrible problem.
Now, to verify-I don't need to do this to cucurbits, correct? But the armenian is actually a squash so I guess he needs one too. So, muskmelons and watermelons, they need them also?
Some of my varieties are new to me this year, like the armenian and I've also never really grown melons (at least not very successfully) so I'm not that familar with them.
I sure wish I knew what I'd "planted" in my worms. It's starting to come up like crazy in my tomatoes this week after side dressing with worm compost. Not sure if it's spaghetti squash, acorn, cucumbers, pumpkins or what! Can't decide if I want to weed or transplant it, LOL!!
greendesert
14 years ago
haha... Sevin is nerve gas. Now that is a good one.
Sevin and Sarin are most definitely not even close to being the same thing. Sarin is what you're talking about, and yes that's nerve gas, Sevin is naphthyl methylcarbamate. Yes it's most likely toxic to humans if you eat it with a spoon, but at normal application rates it is one of the safest pesticides out there. Studies have shown that it has virtually no effect on pregnancies. Being exposed to a cat is probably 100 times more dangerous for a pregnant person and the unborn than eating squash treated with Sevin.
Sure it would be nice if we wouldn't have to use any pesticides at all ever, but if it wasn't for pesticides, the world would be most likely dealing with major famine because it is simply not possible to produce the amount of food needed for everybody today by using only organic methods.
I don't know what to say about the the pantyhose idea, I might try it, but I don't think it's a silver bullet. I mean what's to stop the thing from boring into the vine just a little above the pantyhose? it may be effective, but I would say the "organic only" bandwagon is not one that I'm willing to jump on.
grant_in_arizona
14 years ago
I LOVE this discussion and the panty hose solution. Thanks for sharing it, Mary. I'm curious too about whether squash vine borer will also go after melons etc too. I have always thought it was a pest on all cucurbits (gourds, melons, cukes, etc) but I'm curious to hear what other think.

In any case, I'm going to get some cheapies at the dollar store (or Goodwill if they sell them) and put some on my baby 'Tigger' melon seedlings just in case.

Love it!
Thanks all,
Grant
tracydr
Original Author
14 years ago
Ok Greendesert. I used to be the IIIrd Army Corps Surgeon so I learned a little bit about chemical warfare. I was also on the Emergency Preparedness Team for Oklahoma after 9/11 for a few years. I've been to several special advanced courses on these issues and I won't bore anyone with the details concerning how it all works but trust me when I tell you that Sevin dust is closely related to the organophosphates which make up the bulk of the chemical warfare arsenal. It inhibits acetylcholinesterase and the antidote is atropine. Atropine is the antidote that soldiers in Iraq and Desert Storm were issued for possible chemical attacks.
I've personally seen dogs overdosed with Sevin dust in vain attempts at "flea" treatments and it wasn't pretty at all.

Here's some information on organophosphates from the CDC websites:

"Nerve agents are the most toxic of the known chemical warfare agents. They are chemically similar to organophosphate pesticides and exert their biological effects by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase enzymes. G-type agents are clear,colorless, and tasteless liquids that are miscible in water and most organic solvents. GB is odorless and is the most volatile nerve agent; however, it evaporates at about the same rate as water. GA has a slightly fruity odor, and GD has a slight camphor-like odor. VX is a clear, amber-colored, odorless, oily liquid. It is miscible with water and soluble in all solvents. It is the least volatile nerve agent. Table 1 lists selected physical properties for each of the nerve agents."

Thanks Greendesert, for introducing such a volatile topic. By the way, how many honey bees did you see in your garden last year? Save the trouble of not having to put pantyhose on my squash and then I get to pollinate them by hand? NOT!!
MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
14 years ago
Here's links to some articles: (I didn't make this up in a dream, I found the solution from lengthy internet searches.) Tracy, thanks for clearing the air (so to speak) about Sevin dust. Grant, I dunno about melons, I don't grow any.

http://www.gardeners.com/Squash-Vine-Borer/5304,default,pg.html

This link is from Garden Web, scroll down a bit for the panty hose note:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/sqfoot/msg0718134527080.html

I like this one even better - empty toilet paper rolls....should be MUCH easier to apply, and for those not having old panty hose around, well,you're sure to have some of these!!!!: I had actually thought of using short lengths of pvc pipe. Duh!!!

http://idigmygarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=190

Happy reading. [I forgot the links only work if I put them in the Optional Link URL box. Just copy and paste to your browser's address bar.]

Fun - and very informative - thread.
tracydr
Original Author
14 years ago
What a great idea with the toilet paper rolls and even pvc pipe. I have tons of pvc pipe as I use it to make agility obstacles for my dog. I'm sure I could sacrifice one extra pole to make little skirts for my squashes. I also could save toilet paper rolls and they'll add up in no time.
Mary, you've given me a ton of information. Thanks again! Your squash look lovely by the way. Mine are only about 4 inches tall right now but they're also only about 2 weeks old. They are greening up now with the application of organic fertilizer and iron that they got last week so I think I'm on the right track at least.
What types are you growing? I've got patty pan, delicata, armenian cucumber, butternut and spaghetti squash. Plus, acorn. Then I have some sort of cantelope/muskmelon from HD, as well as a large watermelon from HD, don't remember the varieties. Plus, some mystery squash/cucurbits???? in the tomato garden that just came up this week from the worm poo. I figured I'll just see what it looks like and probably move it to a better place since it won't have enough room where it is. It's probably something tasty or the seeds wouldn't have been in the worm poo to begin with, LOL!
So much garden, so little time!
greendesert
14 years ago
Well I could go on and argue but I still don't believe that Sevin is anywhere near as toxic at recommended levels as you say. It may be related to the organophosphates but it is not one of them (Diazinon is). And yes, carbamates do inhibit ACh, but unlike organophosphates, the effect is very short lived. We're talking 30 minutes to at most a couple of days (with a very high dose) as opposed to permanent.
I think the idea is to use the stuff wisely. I actually don't use it much, but from time to time I think it's necessary. And I don't spread it around in the wind like a fool.
>By the way, how many honey bees did you see in your
>garden last year?
I can say that I used it a little a couple of years ago and I saw zero effect on the bee population in my garden of which I'm very protective, especially carpenter bees. I have tomato plants right now that are so well pollinated that there's no doubt the bees are alive and well in my garden. the trick is not to spray the whole plant indiscriminatly. I generally avoid spraying the blooms and upper parts.
I think I'm probably more green at heart than a lot of people out there who preach green living. I'm a composting fanatic, reuse my graywater use mostly organic fertilizers (I raise quails), but I also have a job, family and kids and don't have time to babysit plants or sit in the garden with a flyswatter all day to kill pests.
I've read up on Sevin, and obviously it is not without side effects but to me it seems that using it cautiously minimizes the risks to the point where they're hardly worth worrying about.
Here are some of the studies that seemed to make sense to me:
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-12142006-155625/unrestricted/DuRant_Thesis.pdf

http://www.safe2use.com/poisons-pesticides/pesticides/misc/sevin-carbaryl.htm

anyway, I think this is enough for today. and sorry I steered this discussion in the wrong direction. I have a tendency to be opinionated, but I think I'm also fairly well informed. So back to the SVB topic.
MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
14 years ago
It's all good. The best point you made is "...using it cautiously". Remember my comment about "....embracing organic gardening but sometimes you gotta use a sledge hammer." The panty hose/toilet paper rolls are such a neat, easy idea and you were raining on that parade. No hard feelings, let's move on.

Tracy, agility dog huh? I had my Cavalier in that for a while, until I ran out of time for it. He was in a club called The Jumping Chollas. It's good fun and I loved it but took too much time to do it right. What breed is your four-legged buddy?

For squash I'm growing zucc, crookneck and spaghetti. Then tomatoes, and lots of hot peppers.

Gotta run right now, would love to chat more.
User
14 years ago
The borers will lay eggs above the panty hose protection ... they go for the fat stems anywhere they can find them.

I'm going to be succession-planting, and am willing to yank out any affected plants so the larvae don't get to pupate.
rtl850nomore
14 years ago
Mary who knew you were putting socks on your squash. Good on ya. You can grab a handfull of footies when you are trying on shoes or just looking around in a shoe store. They work well for my peaches. My peach tree is covered in socks right now and I use them to keep bird pecks off my ripening tomatoes. I visited a shoe store a couple of years ago and told them why I wanted footies...they gave me a whole bag of them.
MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
14 years ago
I remember that footie story Jayne. But footies will be too small, wrong shape. I'm going to switch to the toilet paper rolls.

Lazy, it's hard to prove a negative...."I didn't get SVB's because I blocked entry with a length of pantyhose/toilet paper roll/pvc pipe".....but my experience is that once those buggers get started it's all over but the cryin'. The whole bed gets hit. That was my experience anyway. But I appreciate your input, as always.

Have been picking baby squashes and they are delish! straight from the garden, tiny, firm, warm. Ahhhh, fresh veggies.
grant_in_arizona
14 years ago
Okay, I broke down and bought a box of pantyhose at Safeway! I had to call my sister to ask which aisle they would be in, LOL. My 'Tigger' melon vines are still small, but I'll fit them with their "socks" when it's time. :)

I like the toilet paper idea too, and the succession planting. I guess I'm just going to spin the ol' wheel of fortune and hope for the best.

Mary, pickling recipe pleazzzzze???

Take care all,
Grant
MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
14 years ago
Grant, what are you talking about with the pickling recipe request? Did I say something about pickling? I scrolled back up and didn't see anything. Are you reading my mind? I recently found a red cabbage recipe I want to try but that's not related to this thread.

McHuh?
grant_in_arizona
13 years ago
LOL, thanks for the reply, Mary. I re-re-re-read your post and NOW I see you said you were PICKING baby squash and they were delicisous, not PICKLING, lol. I'm not a summer-squash fan (love winter squash though) and was hoping for a recipe to make them delicious, LOL. Sorry about that.

Take care all,
Grant, pantyhose in garden supply area of side yard. :)
Leo123
10 years ago
I have the following on good experienced authority: After vines come up poke about four depressions around each stem with your little finger and plant a radish seed at proper depth. plantings should be 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch from stems. Let radishes go to seed for lasting protection.
Kathryn Lansden
10 years ago
Leo123: I wonder if radishes would repel squash bugs too. Ive only had two seasons experience growing squash: I didn't see any SVB but squash bugs decimated all 5 plants I had (both in beds and in containers).

This year I'm experimenting with catnip (supposed to repel SB) and jicama...if I can find it. I'll add radishes for good measure. I've got seed and it certainly can't hurt.
newtoucan
10 years ago
I've never been able to grow zucchini. Every time, I get that bug. I think it's those pill bugs though. I see them eating the stem. Wouldn't the pill bugs or the squash borwer easily crawl in or under the pantyhose or toilet paper tubes. What about the part above the pantyhose. Couldn't they just cut off the stem higher up. I'm just asking because I'd really like a solution that will work this year.
MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
10 years ago
toucan, My understanding was that the SVB enters at the soil level, if you can block that entry point, like with the tp roll or pantyhose piece buried a bit under the soil, the bug can't get in. That's the theory anyway. I'm going to try the radish idea this year. Also, I have raked out all the debris from under our lady banks hedge and will spray a liquid garlic pest preventive on the hedges near the garden beds. If you have any old leaves and plant debris around your garden area, rake it up and remove it before the bugs hatch. I really think this may be a big key factor. I've had a grasshopper and brown dog tick problem as well. It's A LOT of work raking out and disposing of all the leaf debris. I hope it's worth it.

I've spent about 9 hours on it now, over three weekends, and have only cleared maybe 60' of 200' feet needed. But the 60' is what's close to the gardens. The rest is to clear the tick problem because the dogs wander under the hedge to munch on Bermuda grass that pops up there.
tracydr
Original Author
10 years ago
So far, in four years of squash growing, I've only had one SVB. It was on a trombocino. Since I was letting it run all over a part-shade area, they had roots all over and just lost a branch here and there. The trombocino is a crazy, rampant squash with delicious squashes.
My Costata,spaghetti squash, kabocha and patty pan have never been
Effected. Now, if we want to talk squash bugs, that's another story. Although, with the squash bugs, once I knew what they were, I found that hitting the squash with DE ( diamectous earth) when I see the very first babies, which run in little armies, worked fabulously. I not ever seen more than one or two adults when treating them that way.
For ticks, I finally seem to have them well controlled, after dusting my entire yard last spring except the garden, with sulpher. It's considered organic but be very,very careful if applying it to anything in direct sun with warm temperatures. It will fry the leaves. I killed some roses that way when trying to kill spider mites. Btw, sulphur works incredibly well on spider mites but I think it would fry tomatoes and other sensitive plants with our spring and summer heat.
squishsquash
9 years ago
If you have had squash borers infest your squash previously, chances are his larvae is in the soil from last year. That larvae can find the roots, so covering the base will only block new moths looking to lay their annoying little babies, not the ones you already have. I have wrapped my stems with plastic wrap and foil, and it didn't help. I rip up plants when infested and throw them away-and STILL get them. I loathe those bugs, they kill my squash every year. Last year I grew a late crop in an earthbox, and it made up for all the loss. I had about a dozen summer squash without any freaking borers from that box-oddly mostly pollinated by fruit flies too! Woot! This year I am growing in both the garden and earthboxes. I have row covers for the boxes too. I just need to time the season these freaking moths from hell will be here. Most articles say late June-early July, but is that too general for all zones? I think I am 6b-7.
So this year (2014) my attack will be crop rotation (I always do-but brand new spot completely never had squash-only butternut) and row covers during the moth stage. I will also have a back up crop started in seed starters in case of infestation. They break me every year, but I always try and try again! -I also have bunnies, aphids, powdery mildew, slugs it's a constant battle here! Good luck to you all and quick death to them!
newtoucan
9 years ago
So far, the toilet paper holder has worked. I have a Costata Romanesco in a large barrel, and for added protection, put mosquito netting over the plant. I want to take it off though now that the there are squash flowers. Do these SBV moths come out in day or night?

I could cover at night and uncover in the day if they are night creatures. I'm hoping I could get some squash for a change. Devastating when every year, the plants just get cut down.
cold_weather_is_evil
9 years ago
Important question: Is it clear that squash vine borers attack from the soil and that they're not from eggs left on plants by their adults? That's what I understand but I've been turned around a complete 180 degrees on simple stuff before...

For "cut worm" things, plant collars are a crap shoot. That's both their limitation and their charm. Soil borne creepy crawlies that attack plants come up from the soil but they do not automatically do that right next to the plant stem. Those that do so, get to feast. Those that are too far away get a cardboard/plastic wall. The odds favor the cardboard wall builder.

One problem I see is that not one single (bush-type) plant rises majestically to the sky from one single point of soil contact. The whole shebang is all over the dirt, or real-thick-fluffy-dry mulch in my case. I'm hoping that said support mulch is enough to keep the leaf stems out of the way of the creepy crawlies. If not, cardboard collars would seem like a waste of time.

Regular succession plantings, as mentioned, are a good way to go too. Might try DE prophylaxis until the monsoons hit.
User
9 years ago
Here's some info:

http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/squash-vine-borers/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_vine_borer

"Beginning in late June or early July, squash vine borer adults emerge from cocoons in the ground. " Part one of the control ... let birds have access to the OLD squash growing spots so they can dig out the cocoons.

Soon after emerging, squash vine borers lay eggs singly at the base of susceptible plants. Part two of control ... guard the base of the plants so the borers can't lay eggs there. That's why panty hose or aluminum foil works.

http://www.centexcooks.com/squash-borers/ reportedly putting water out in YELLOW containers attracts the borers and they drown.
iandyaz
9 years ago
I've never had a SVB attack that I know of, but I've had Squash bugs decimate my plants. I don't know if what I do now keeps them off, but I haven't had any real squash bug problems since the first year. I always start the plants under row covers until the first female flowers start up, then I take them away. It seems to keep everything off the plants for the remainder of their lives, so far. *knocks on wood*
newtoucan
9 years ago
Thanks for the info. I got the flowers so hopefully out of the woods. I will put a layer of aluminum foil around the plant and see if that helps. I guess we're not even at SBV season yet.
Kathryn Lansden
9 years ago
I don't think I've ever had SVB but I did have horrible problems with squash bugs last year. I interplanted my squash garden with catnip, nasturtium and radishes. Its too soon to tell but I'm hopeful that will deter them. I tried planting jicama (for squash bug deterrent but it didn't come up. I planted my squash in February and its healthy and producing. Knock on wood I can keep the little buggers at bay this year.

Squash Vine Borer season-

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