Well, it's that time of year. I looked out the window and saw a zucchini that was totally wilted. In spite of the heat, I was fairly certain what had happened. Closer inspection proved me right: Squash Vine Borer!
The tell-tale "frass" coming out of several parts of the base indicated that it was the SVB.
I pulled the plant, but the others seem to be OK....I hope it stays that way.
I've finally decided to give up on summer squash for just that reason. Once again I had some beautiful plants, got a nice first crop of zucchini and yellow crooknecks and then the SVB's hit. Within a couple weeks all my plants were done for and I pulled them.
Unlike last year, I didn't plant more only to suffer the same fate.
Unlike last year, I didn't plant more only to suffer the same fate.
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Yup, I gave up on growing summer squash this year for the same reason. Trying acorn squash this year. So far so good, though something has been eating the leaves of one. Not sure if it is my groundhog or something smaller.
Garden5 if you have other zuke plants that have not been attacked so far (inspect closely!) you might want to trying spraying all the stems with kaolin clay (sold as Surround).
"acts as a physical barrier preventing insects from reaching vulnerable plant tissue. It acts as a repellent by creating an unsuitable surface for feeding or egg-laying. The uniform white film may also disrupt the insect’s host finding capability by masking the color of the plant tissue. Furthermore, particles of kaolin act as an irritant to the insect. After landing on a treated surface, particles of kaolin break off and attach to the insect’s body triggering an excessive grooming response that distracts the pest." https://web.pppmb.cals.cornell.edu/resourceguide/mfs/07kaolin.php
Since you know you have the SVB's in your garden, it is almost inevitable that you will lose the rest of your plants unless you do something to protect them. Another alternative would be spraying them preventatively with Bt (sold as Thuricide, Dipel).
Garden5 if you have other zuke plants that have not been attacked so far (inspect closely!) you might want to trying spraying all the stems with kaolin clay (sold as Surround).
"acts as a physical barrier preventing insects from reaching vulnerable plant tissue. It acts as a repellent by creating an unsuitable surface for feeding or egg-laying. The uniform white film may also disrupt the insect’s host finding capability by masking the color of the plant tissue. Furthermore, particles of kaolin act as an irritant to the insect. After landing on a treated surface, particles of kaolin break off and attach to the insect’s body triggering an excessive grooming response that distracts the pest." https://web.pppmb.cals.cornell.edu/resourceguide/mfs/07kaolin.php
Since you know you have the SVB's in your garden, it is almost inevitable that you will lose the rest of your plants unless you do something to protect them. Another alternative would be spraying them preventatively with Bt (sold as Thuricide, Dipel).
I had squash vine borers bad this year, and what I did seems to be working.
I took a sharp knife and cut a slice out of the affected vines, a good distance up past the frass holes. I picked out and killed any grubs I found. I sprayed the exposed section well with Spinosad, and sprayed up into the vines, and then covered the damaged sections well with compost and dirt. And I sprayed the rest of the length of the vines on the plants.
I only did this about 2 weeks ago, so I don't KNOW if it's fully effective, but it seems to be. No drooping since (although it has also been considerably cooler), the vines are growing well and lots of female flowers are popping up.
I took a sharp knife and cut a slice out of the affected vines, a good distance up past the frass holes. I picked out and killed any grubs I found. I sprayed the exposed section well with Spinosad, and sprayed up into the vines, and then covered the damaged sections well with compost and dirt. And I sprayed the rest of the length of the vines on the plants.
I only did this about 2 weeks ago, so I don't KNOW if it's fully effective, but it seems to be. No drooping since (although it has also been considerably cooler), the vines are growing well and lots of female flowers are popping up.