Can't find worm(s) doing damage

[Francis Barnswallow]

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.

[Avonnow]

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.

[Francis Barnswallow]

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.

[Francis Barnswallow]

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?

[Kisal]

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.

[Francis Barnswallow]

I'll check tonight.