| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| BStein |
Posted - Jul 11 2006 : 4:39:47 PM
Yikes! My yellow squash plants have a problem. I thought it was a blight, but I cut open the stem near the dirt and found a larva inside. I guess as he's growing he's busting open the stem (or eating it out) and the leaves are wilted. I even had some baby squash growing. Ugh! But several (out of about 10) plants are having this problem. I fear they all do at some stage. What is the bug and any suggestions on how to get rid of it? I've never grown squash before. I was so hopeful.
Barbara in Ohio |
| 11 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| bramble |
Posted - Sep 14 2006 : 8:46:25 PM
If you had caught them earlier in the season before they "went in for the kill" you could have used diatomaecous earth which is organic
as it is crystallized microscopic skeletons. They are so sharp that when the larvae crawl across it they actually puncture their fat little bodies and expire. The only caution is to wear breathing protection when applying the "dust", it can be hazardous to your respiratory system if inhaled.
with a happy heart |
| PocketFarmgirl |
Posted - Sep 14 2006 : 8:33:21 PM
I read a wickedly satisfying method (although I haven't gotten to try it yet, having no squash this year) in which you purchase hatpins (nice long ones). You go out at night and shine a flashlight on the vines, and you can see which have the grubs in them, b/c of course they're hollow. You just stick the pins straight through and skewer the doggone things. Leave the pins in until you're sure the grubs are dead. You do less vine damage than slicing. Also, wrapping foil around the vines near the stems of the fruit can also be effective.
I fought these grubs all last summer. I was so mad! I love my butternut squash! |
| BStein |
Posted - Jul 18 2006 : 5:35:02 PM
Well, update--
the few plants that I didn't think had borers, apparently did. I noticed some vine damage this evening, even though the plants looked o.k. I used a razor and sliced open the vines like I did with the others and, sure enough, there they were. And they were huge!! Ugh!! I'm not such a good "farm girl" when it comes to stuff like that. But I dug them out and smashed them (along with lots of lovely slugs crawling around the stems--too bad the guys already left to go fishing for the evening!!). The plants that I dug the other borers out are still doing alright, so I hope these will too. I'm bound and determined to get some lovely yellow squash this year. But, between the bunnies and the bugs and the weeds...I have great respect for you real farm girls!
Barbara |
| Lacy |
Posted - Jul 14 2006 : 08:54:07 AM
These little buggers have just killed the last of my squash plants... After having killed the rest earlier this summer... I've read a lot of organic options, and the most effective is as follows:
Take a sharp knife and cut the stem lengthwise from the hole with the sawdusty residue (entry point) until you find the borer. Take out the borer and treat as you'd like (i feed them to the chickens!) then either just leave the stem to heal itself or cover with soil and it will heal. If the borers havent' gotten too far, your plants will come back. Before this last round, I got them out and plants that i thought were for sure goners came back. But keep an eye out! There's probably more eggs ready to hatch./
Another way is the BT spray, and next year, apparently it's best to keep them under a weighted row cover until they set blooms to keep the moths away in the first place (no eggs, no larvae).
Good luck!
http://farmaspirations.blogspot.com |
| Horseyrider |
Posted - Jul 13 2006 : 04:58:37 AM
Years ago I heard a good one.
An organic gardener I respect a great deal said that when he suspects squash vine borers, he mixes up some Bt and puts it in a syringe with a 16 guage needle, and injects the vines. The Bt kills the larva, and his crop is saved.
Another thought when the infestation is bad is to hand pick a half cup or so of your 'offenders,' put them in an old blender with a couple cups of water, buzz them, strain the water through cheesecloth and spray on the plants. I'm told the bugs won't go back there, but I wonder if it seems like less because you've just picked off a boatload. Anyway, I know some old timer organic gardeners swear by this method. I tried it, but I don't recall how well it worked.
I do use a rotenone product from Gardens Alive weekly (when I remember and it isn't raining) and right now I have the best acorn squash, zucchini and pumpkin crop I've ever had.
Aunt Jenny, I'm curious as to why you don't like rotenone. It's organic, and here it can make the difference between getting a crop and having no crop at all. |
| BStein |
Posted - Jul 12 2006 : 12:54:31 PM
Several ladies here have said they remove the affected area. The larvae is in the stem right by the dirt line. Do you mean you just cut part of the stem out and the plant survives? I sliced into the stem and scraped the larvae out and them mounded the dirt up around the stem, but I can't actually cut the stem off or I'd be cutting off the entire plant. I'm just curious to know if I could cut more away if need be.
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| Annab |
Posted - Jul 12 2006 : 12:06:07 PM
We get these in the zucchini and cucumbers too on occasion.
I'll usually remove the affected area.
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| BStein |
Posted - Jul 11 2006 : 5:56:13 PM
Well, my husband did some research and I guess we have squash vine borers! It's the larvae of a moth that lays its eggs on the plant and when they hatch they bore into the stem, just above the dirt line. I don't think there's much hope after it has bored into the stem. I was told I could cut into the stem lenthwise and dig out the larvae (there were more in some of the plants that still looked healthy) then pack the dirt up around the stem and hope it grows more roots. You have to spray the plant before the eggs hatch, so we're too late for that. He was told they really like yellow squash so the best thing to do is grow something they're not so fond of (zucchini and patty pan).
If anyone knows of other solutions, I'd appreciate the advice. I guess they like cucumbers, too, and those are in the next row over. Ugh!
Barbara in Ohio
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| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Jul 11 2006 : 5:26:21 PM
OH!! meanwhile..cut off all the stems and leaves with any sign of damage and the rest may continue to grow at least for a little while so you get some squash for all your trouble. Take the bad leaves, stems and pesky critters far away from the garden. I had my kids hand pick squash bugs last year too. This year I havn't seen any yet.
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Jul 11 2006 : 5:25:08 PM
I hate those pesky squash bugs..they mostly destroyed my pumpkin crop last year. I hope you find a way to kill them without resorting to sevin or rotenone..which I won't use...please post your results if you do find something!!
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| brightmeadow |
Posted - Jul 11 2006 : 5:22:19 PM
If it is what I think it is, you got it exactly right - a squash bug....
OSU extension service says to use Sevin or Rotenone... Of course if you want to stay organic Sevin is completely out of the question!
Here is a URL for another site for more sustainable, organic methods http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/squashbug.html#alternative
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
