Have a problem with something (I think it's a squash boror) Doing in my zucchinni and cukes. They looked good 2 days ago, today almost dead. The vine/stem right about ground level is riddled with little holes/tunnels. A yellow sawdust looking stuff around the same area. When I yanked out the squash, the stem smelled rotten in the area noted. I should have looked for some critters then but as I had a fire going I tossed the infected plants right on it. I've never had any problems like this before so I don't really know what's the best way to go here. There is a considerable distance between the squash and the cukes. Any Suggestions? Thanks.

-- John in S. IN (jsmengel@freewwweb.com), July 12, 2000

Answers

I haven't posted here for a while, so here's my reply. What I do is grow varieties resistant to vine borers. I'm not sure about summer squash, but the Moschata varieties of winter squash aren't bothered by borers. I recently harvested several Waltham Butternuts. I've tried pumpkins and other Maximas, and Mixtas, and none of them made it. I've never had a problem with vine borers in zuchinni. Maybe someone else out there could help?

-- Hannah Maria Holly (hannahholly@hotmail.com), July 13, 2000.

Hi,

I have had problems with this sometimes and if the plant is thriving and healthy it may withstand some damage. Where the stem is eaten, if it is not all the way through you can mae a vertical cut going up until you find the worm in there, cut it out and then it is posible for your plants to survive. It all depends on the amount of damage. I have had some luck with this-at least enough that it didn't wipe out my crop.

The mature form of this bug almost looks like a wasp it has olive brown front wings, clear back wings, and a red abdomen with black rings. thye lay their eggs on the largest stem of summer squach (and other plants in the same family) The borers are white about 1/2 to 1 inch long and have dark heads. The larvae do overwinter in the soil- so rotation is a must.

It is also suggested to use floating row covers, but we jus try to move out timing up so that our plants are big and healthy when this is aproblem (make notes on this for next year).

Good luck!

Sarah

-- Sarah Cate (heartsong85@juno.com), July 13, 2000.

I asked this question several months back. Grant Eversoll (lives in s. In) said to grow radishes around the squash and let it go to seed. So this is what I did: I planted watermelon, canteloupe, and honeydew, then around those I planted squash then I made a border or radishes. So far I've knocked several borers in to can of water or smashed them. The eggs which are on more than just the big leaves, I scrape off. Just about every morning I pick off squash bugs from the cucmbers. I planted squash and radishes around those also, but a little late. Last year I lost all those crops by the end of July. I also use rotenone 5% on the pumpkins and have dusted the cukes a time or two, we've had a lot of rain here in S.E. In. so it gets washed off quickly. I mulched under part of the pumpkins with dried herb tems-hyssop and chamomile-I might be onto so something. So with all my hard work, I'm getting really nice cucumbers and squash. The other plants look pretty well. There's still time for you to replant zucchini and radishes if you want to give it a try.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), July 13, 2000.

If you get out about sunlight, you can pick off most of the borrers. To catch others, place a wide, flat board over a little dampend gound a few inches from the plants having problems. At about 9 or 10 am, go out and pick up the boards, often the bugs will crawl under anything close and dense once the sun is up, then you can kill them. To prevent future problems, get aluminum foil, or plastic, and make a ring around the base of your plants, between the first leaves and the ground. Tape the edges of the ring togather, then tape or tie with ribben to plant. Be sure the edges bend back down, so that any effort to climb the stock will be thwarted. Also, if you start training squash (or cantaloup, cucs, melons, and other vines) up trellis, then the bug has a harder time getting to them, if you "ring" the bottoms of the plant. I also pick off leaves containing anything that looks like eggs on the underside of the leves. (Throw them far, far away from the garden, or any succulents your growing.)

-- Marty (Mrs.Puck@excite.com), July 14, 2000.