Squash Vine Borer

[hangin'witthepeeps]

I found my first squash vine borer moth last night on my zucchini. This is something I have struggled with for the past 5 years gardening. I plan on wiping the stems every night before I retire for the evening. I have 8 squash plants (yellow, zucchini, and buttercup).

Would you recommend wiping the stems with alcohol or soapy water. I'm wiping to remove eggs. Since I only have 8 total plants, it wouldn't be that hard. I also would like to do the panty hose/aluminum foil experiment on a few plants. But what would successfully wipe away any eggs already laid?

Any other advice is welcome. I leave my car and house doors unlocked praying someone leaves me squash. Five years and little to no squash other than store bought. It's very sad. Here is a picture of my squash bed when I planted it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know. My big problem is squash bugs, not the squash vine borers. I am sure that soap won't hurt the plants, say dishwashing soap. I don't think alcohol would either but I'm a bit not sure on that. But how about another strategy? Mineral oil. If it doesn't remove the egg, which I think it might, it could smother the egg or the caterpillar when it hatches? I have not read about this anywhere, just my overactive imagination. What do others that battle the borer a lot more than I do think of that?

If you were far enough north, I'd say to delay planting squash until the squash vine borer has run through it's life cycle. Up north it only goes through its life cycle once, so later is a good strategy, but where you are it will go through two or maybe three life cycles a summer. That's an advantage people up north have.

Another thought. Can you cover that with row cover material sealed down all around to keep the moth out? Maybe a big hoop frame? When you see female flowers forming you can either pollinate by hand and keep them covered or take the cover off and let the regular pollinators pollinate. That will let the moth in to lay eggs, but by the time it kills the plant you will have had at least some harvest.

A variation of that strategy, succession planting. Plant a few and keep them covered until you see female blooms. First blooms are normally male so be a bit patient. Wait until you can see female blooms. Have another set of plants a few weeks later that stay covered. When the first group of plants die and the second if making female blooms, remove those covers.

 

[baymule]

I get wiped out by vine borers too. I start the seeds indoors, then transplant, trying to get that early head start. But I have already found several moths and squished them. Probably more that I didn't catch, LOL. I get several pickings before the vines die. I don't have room for the staggered plantings, so have to deal with what I can do. The heat gets so ferocious that 2nd or 3rd plantings just burn up.

Last year I planted Tromboncino squash and had success with it. It did finally die from borers, but my mistake was trellising the vines. The vines put out rootlets at the leaf joints, if they had been on the ground, they would have rooted and kept living. I didn't plant any this year, I used that space to plant corn. Here is a link to the post I made last year.

http://www.theeasygarden.com/threads/tromboncino-squash-vine-borers-pg-4.13616/

 

[digitS']

@Ridgerunner , I don't think that your imagination is taking you off the path.

I don't have problems with the vine borer so don't have direct experience. Secondly, I haven't used a product sometimes called "summer oil" or "all-season oil." That is, I've used it as a winter dormant pesticide but not in the summer. It is supposed to kill insects and their eggs and is ok to use in the growing season.

There are also products made with neem oil but, the one I've used says petroleum oil. I hope it is a special kind and not something I'd put in a crankcase.

Dishsoaps are not all "equal." Their primary purpose is for washing dishes. Of course, there are insecticidal soaps. Work fine on some bugs but I don't know about their eggs. Just spraying them on probably wouldn't work very well.

Steve

 

[Smart Red]

Steve, use a touch of Vaseline Petroleum Jelly to get the eggs. That's what I suspect was meant by Petroleum oil. The product won't dry out and will stay put for long enough to smother hatching eggs. It is safe enough to use on Baby's bottom and moisturizing my face. Even your hands will benefit from using it if you rub the extra on them.

 

[Smart Red]

AND IT IS CHEAP!

 

[hangin'witthepeeps]

Petroleum Jelly, now that may work. I can reapply 2 or 3 times a week on the stem. Might hold them off a while so I can get some squash. I don't mind bugs, but I would like a little squash for myself. I use the diluted dishsoap spray for the squash bugs. Kills 'em dead. First I spray the plant with water in the mornings. All the little squash bugs run up to the top of the plant and I spray them with a gallon sprayer. I put a little dishsoap and a lot of water. Spray all the little buggers and watch them fall of the plant. I then wait about an hour and wash the soap residue off. I don't leave any soap on the leaves, the leaves will be damaged by the sun if you leave the soap on.

 

[curly_kate]

*runs to the store for some Vaseline*

 

[baymule]

 

[Carol Dee]

squash vine borer After getting a few squash each year they finally win. We did row covers until blossom set then as soon as they where uncovered the borers took over. DH is not diligent woth bug control andI have problems walking on uneven ground and not stepping on vines.