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Francis Barnswallow
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Can't find worm(s) doing damage

I've got some kind of worm thats tearing my squash and basil leaves to pieces. I've noticed web like cocoons underneath the leaves of both plants.

Luckily, I found a worm inside one of the web cocoons and it was one I haven't seen before. Sorry, I have no pics but it was about an inch long, green, with a red head with a bumpy surface and was still in the web.

I've noticed another one under a leaf on my pepper plant as well.

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Avonnow
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Funny you should mention this, I just came in from picking those nasty things off my sqash, zucc, butternut & pumpkin plants. I may be wrong, but they were first in my garden this summer on my cucumbers and someone told me they were pickle worms or squash borers- and hard to get rid of once they bore inside the plant. They would do this to the cucumbers and basically live inside the veggie. So I have no cucmbers now, but they are still here and everywhere. I go out every morning and evening and I usually find them in the top leaves where the plant is growing from. I gently unroll the leaves and they are there. I then pick them and feed the lizards - my friendly garden pests, I have about 5 lizards hanging around and I set the worm down on the ground and the circle of life continues. I have tried BT and pepper sprays, my best defense is picking the plants as often as I can. They nest and have a white web (which it sounds like you found) sometimes they are so small you don't notice them till they eat half the plant and grow 3 times in size. Sometimes you can find a hole in the plant (I did tonight) and they bore inside, so I have to cut them out. I wish I could offer something better, but I live over on the Space Coast and they are horrible. I was hoping with the cooler spell they would go away, but not yet. I just applied BT tonight. Best of luck to you and again I could be wrong but I brought this up awhile ago and that seemed like the best info I got back. :)

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Francis Barnswallow
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I'll check the plant for holes. And I have noticed that the untouched healthy leaves would be chewed to half there size the next morning.


I will seek and hopefully find these worms and turn them into fish bait.

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Francis Barnswallow
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I checked this morning for holes in the plant and I couldn't find any. And I did notice more damage to the newer leaves.

Do these worms come out at night or something?

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Kisal
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That's often the case with garden pests. They tend to be more active at night, because predators (in this case, birds) are usually active during the daylight hours. I use a flashlight and check my plants at night. I take a small bucket about half full of soapy water with me to drop the critters in. I've found that the little 2 gallon painter's buckets work well for this, because the bail handles make them easy to carry. Any similar container would be equally good, though. :)

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Francis Barnswallow
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I'll check tonight.



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