Homebody, your suspicion about bacterial wilt is probably correct, if you have cucumber beetle problems. You should also inspect the stem of any dying squash vines, to see if squash vine borers are responsible. If you find their larvae, or the holes left by them, then prevention next year is your best hope for success. And if your "white aphid looking creatures" look like this, then you should try to kill them before they reach adulthood. The symptoms of squash bug infestation can appear very much like bacterial wilt. Butternut squashes (Cucurbita moschata) are more resistant to beetles & borers than C. pepo (pumpkins & summer squashes) and C. maxima (buttercup, hubbard, banana squash). I quit growing zucchini for that reason, and now grow Tromboncino (a butternut relative) instead. It has few problems... but it does take up a bit of space, unless trellised. You can protect young squash plants with floating row cover, until they either blossom, or outgrow it. This gives the plants time to build up strength, so they have a fighting chance. For me, this prevents SVB, and by delaying the start of attack, reduces the population of cucumber beetles & squash bugs. I could not grow most winter squash successfully without the use of row covers - I highly recommend their use. The use of nylons or some other impenetrable wrap (around the base of the squash stem) can prevent the SVB moth from laying their eggs there. Also, try to grow squash varieties that root at the nodes; bury the stems early, to encourage early rooting... this will help the plants to survive, if SVB does kill the main stem. The last thing that you should do (after killing the squash bug nymphs) is to eliminate any pests that might otherwise over-winter. SVB pupae lay dormant underground, so a Fall tilling will kill many of them. Cleaning up any debris in or near the garden will help to reduce the population of squash bugs the following year.

Chlorosis (green veins with yellowing in between) can be caused by a couple things; it's an indication of an iron deficiency mainly, but it can also be caused by over-fertilization. The other possibility is bacterial wilt, which is spread by the cucumber beetle, but it's a bit early for that. The brown edges are a bit worrisome there. I see it's been 8 days since you've posted, if things have started wilting then my response is sort of useless I suppose...I hope they're doing okay! Here's a site on wilt: http://www.apsnet.org/online/feature/pumpkin/bacterial.html Other causes can be overly limey soil; if you haven't done it already, it would be a good idea to take a soil sample to a local county extension and have it tested. You can't un-fertilize the soil, and you definitely don't want to be disturbing them. The good news is that pumpkins and squash generally root into the soil everywhere a node (where the leaf emerges) touches the soil surfice. I've had plants growing strong where the original base of the vine had long since withered. So you might still do okay as the vine grows. If they do green up again you will want to fertilize again, in moderation - fertilize along the runners about 8-10 inches away on either side. If you lose your vines at least it's still early enough to try again!

Squash borers. Cathy

Pumpkin expert I'm not but I have made pies from pumpkins when I found pumpkins cheaply around here. I made the pies directly from the pumpkins and froze them. My kids loved them. I thought they were a little stringy but DH and kids didn't care. Wouldn't it be easier to find a farmers market or fruit stand around halloween and purchase your pumpkins for pies then? After halloween the pumpkin fields around here are littered with pumpkins. Probably what they sell for canning. I use a lot of pumpkin, canned, and perhaps it might be worthwhile to can your own.