Photo find on Flickr , courtesy ofLa Grande Farmer ’s food market .
Have you ever had a healthy - look squash racquets plant short droop and die ? If your resolution is yes , you know the devastation of the squash vine borer . To check for squash vine bore bit , look near the basis of the plant for frass , which is louse refuse that look like sawdust .
Look closely at the theme where the droop starts and you may see brown excrement coming out of the radical . Sometimes the stem is split loose lengthwise and you’re able to see one or more inch - long borers .
An open slit leaves the plant vulnerable to rot diseases , which can make the situation even worse . In utmost situations the larvae may even exhaust the crop itself .
wintertime squash racquets , summertime squash racquets , gourd , and pumpkin vine are peculiarly susceptible to squeeze vine stone drill . In my garden , zucchinis get make heavily .
Controlling Squash Vine Borers
Sanitation is an important first step to hold back squash vine woodborer out of your garden . transfer all plant rubble from your squash patch after the season and till the ground . call back about rotating your speckle , waiting two or three yr before plant squash in the same location .
If you stagger your squash planting some of your craw may lam the sorry of the squash vine borers .
I ’ve had success with a de - worming technique . Keep a close spotter on your plants , look for frass . At the first sign of borers slit the stem vertically near the where the damage is and remove the borers with a reefer or a knife . Then embrace the slit stem with soil to further roots to form at the nodes . If it puzzle out , as it did for me , your vine will re-start normal growth .
constituent gardeners ascendance mash vine stone drill with nematode worm , which are microscopical worms that corrode the larva of various insect . Some spray their patch with water mixed with nematodes before embed . If all move well the nematodes will eat the larvae before they do any damage . If the larvae do get into the stems you could inject roundworm at three or four in intervals .
Some gardeners report achiever with introducing trichogramma wasps ( which , like nematodes , are considered beneficial dirt ball ) into their gardens .
Insecticides may be effective in control squash vine borers if you apply them before the larvae enter the plants . If you see the adult squeeze vine borer , a colourful orange and grim moth , you know the larvae are on their way . you could apply pheromone trap and entice to monitor the bearing of the moths , so you know when to spray . As with all chemicals , record and follow the directions cautiously .
Consider found butternut squash , which has good resistor to squelch vine borer , instead of more vulnerable form like hubbard .
Want to Learn More About Squash Vine Borers?
Squash vine rock drill are such a braggart problem for a bit of crops that universities across the land are doing research on the best direction to control the pests . determine about their ideas at these sites .
The University of Kentucky has info aboutSquash Vine Borer and Squash Bug .
Squash Vine Borershould be a fully grown help .
Here ’s a useful .pdf overSquash Vine Borer .
