This link from the Ohio Farm Bureau seems to say they emerge starting in June and lay eggs thru July. The eggs take 10 to 14 days to hatch.

I'm sure emergence varies by a a couple weeks from Cincinnati to Cleveland though. I would guess that you would be safe to plant out in late July or early August.

Excellent! I'll mark my calendar and see if I can outsmart them this year and still get some veggies. Thanks!

I am in Atlanta where we will get them bad no matter what around the same time. I suggest growing butternut or tromboncino or just growing under cover. You could still potentially loose an entire crop by June if not. There is no evading them!

Just remember that moschata squash are "resistant" to squash vine borers. In practice, that means it's harder for them to get in. But they still do. I routinely lose butternut and tromboncino to SVBs.

But the strategy of waiting them out is one that I am newly enamoured with. They are very active in spring, and are gone by mid-summer. Around here, my season extends through November, so I'll be planting out in July, and harvesting in November. I lost a lot of Tahitian melon to SVBs this year, but replanted in late June, and they thrived. You may not have that option in Ohio.

In Michigan, I never lost a tromboncino to SVB. But they also have regular squash to choose from. A good practice, for you and the neighbor, is to slit the vine and kill all occupants.

Very good points about waiting, because yes, I always end up losing my battle by Ocober to Novemeber :( Also till your dirt good this winter too. expose the dormant ones.

Some research revealed that for me, there are two generations of SVBs. One is born in March, and last for a month. Another is born in May and last for a month. So if your growing season is long enough, you have time for winter squash starting in July. Summer squash might be easier to fit in if your growing season is shorter. Your local extension service may have info about SVB generation timing.

For the northern half of the country there is only one generation of SVBs per season but I think that 2 generation line is slowly moving further north.

Just out of curiosity, are there pre-planting soil treatments that kill SVB pupae? Surface treatments (e.g. peroxide) won't work, because the larvae dig themselves in one or two inches.

P.S. I realize that, where I am, in July, solarization would work a treat. Man, I could deep fry SVB pupae left and right. A few days under plastic, and it would be all over.

You have all given me a lot to think about. I'll give my plan a shot this year and see how it goes. I hate these bugs!

I buy my squash at the local market now. Too much stress growing it in the garden for me anymore.

Sorry this is no help but I'm cabin fevered today and had to say something.

Went to a seminar last year held at the Ohio State University's agricultural dept, and they shared the local (Columbus) results of a statewide study of SVB using row cover vs non-cover on standard zucchini planted successively several weeks apart. Results were that 100% of vines were affected. Interestingly, about 60% of affected vines continued to flourish. This was due to the fact that, depending on where the eggs were laid within the stem, the plant either did or did not continue to transport nourishment, due to the area/amount of vasculature affected. The preliminary recommendation (the study was ongoing) was to consider squash varietals that had a larger diameter base stem structure, because larger stems can accommodate the developing larvae AND still transport nourishment. (Of course, slitting the stem and destroying any larvae is always suggested.)

This led me to consider some of the sturdier, asian winter-squash varieties that can be harvested earlier as summer squash. I'll try them this summer, but I'm a bit skeptical about how tasty they'll be. Still, better than sacrificing my crooknecks to the dang SVBs!

Finally, - and it's purely anecdotal evidence - I have grown English Custard summer squash for the past 2 years and had zero evidence of SVB. These were plants growing 10 feet from the SVB-riddled zukes and crooknecks. Personally, I find the English Custard to be tastier that crookneck, AND they are really bizarre looking, which is alway a plus in my book ;-)!

Wow, that's a "roll out the red carpet" strategy for squash vine borers. Just give them room to party without bashing down the walls. Zukes are squash with large diameter base stems, and they're the first to get slaughtered by SVBs. Call me skeptical.

I was suggesting that a good strategy is to wait them out, and plant later. The converse is also somewhat true. That is, if you plant them early enough, you might get a harvest before the SVBs decimate the plants. That clearly won't work for winter squashes, which take some time to mature, but might do the trick for summer squashes.

I have luck with butternut squash. but everything else seems to get quickly destroyed. I do not believe I have ever lost a butternut to the SVB. I like to grow the old reliable original Waltham Butternut not the more modern hybrids. but I have grown other butternuts with no problems also.

I learned to grow what grows and not fight against it. if a plant has problems growing then I stop growing it. there are plenty of plants to take the space and room and grow with no problems. the SVB is not a problem in the far west. but a big problem in my area.

The moschata squash species (of which butternut, tromboncino, tahitian melon, etc. are members) are "resistant" to SVBs. Their stems are somewhat less hollow and stronger, making them less inviting to SVBs. Our Texas SVBs are pretty determined though, and for me, those squash may be "resistant" to SVBs, but are hardly immune. I lose them regularly each spring. I *never* grow non-moschta squash. I can't be bothered with inspecting huge plants for larvae or making giant covers to shield them, wrapping stems with foil, or doing surgery on infected stems. I'm also not going to spray up the kazoo with MSDS-questionable insecticides (though I've heard that BT can work well). But as I said, I think that proper timing is one answer.

Totally on board with smart timing. I just haven't been here in OH long enough to get a reliable sense of when the first SVB moths appear, in order to avoid them. I tried later planting last year and had some success, and curious to see if the asian squash will mature in time if planted in July this year.

Check out your local ag extension. I'll bet they know when the SVBs come out in your area. Winter squashes take longer to mature, so if you plant out in mid-summer, they might not be ready come first frost. Summer squash are faster, and might be a better bet. But you need to evaluate that based on SVB emergence schedule and time-to-harvest.

Yes, daninthedirt, one would think... but the local ag extension folks were involved in the OSU seminar I attended ABOUT the SVB study, and they didn't have any conclusive advice about timing either. My point about trying the Asian winter squash varietals was that I don't actually want the squash to mature. I am interested in seeing if the immature squash would be a palatable substitute for typical summer squash.

If anyone is interested, the types I am trialing this spring are Early Bulam, Meot Jaeng, and Teot Bat Put - all from Kitazawa.

Hmm, that's surprising that they can't offer you information about SVB timing. This might apply to you. Doesn't leave you with much of a growing season, though.

http://extension.illinois.edu/bugreview/squashvineborer.cfm

But yes, that's a smart idea about using immature winter squash.

Wow. That's an excellent study. Yes, looks like you only have a month or so of growing season without any SVBs around. But maybe there are two or three months at the end of the summer with reduced activity.