Fighting the Squash Vine Borer - a Battle for Zucchini

The Squash Vine Borer is a hard to battle pest of squash, cucumbers, and melon plants. Zucchini is one of the most common victims of this insect. This video is designed to help educate you about the life cycle of this pest and give you some ideas for it's control.

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Squash Vine Borer Traps

[Betty-qdst]

WOW, I had the same problem.
Very little zucchini and them vine bores 😡

[maryandersen]

I have used neem oil injection with some decent results on summer squash. Forgot zucchini is also vulnerable, so didn't get much zucchini this year. In the past I have also had good luck with dill plants around my zucchini and didn't realize it repels the nasties.

[josephschalesr]

Every 10 days I take my syringe that I get from Orscheln's and fill it to the max which is about 20mm I give all my squash plants including zucchini plants shots with knock down insect control. I think it is organic. If I see a plant that has damage I do not destroy it, but shot the damage with an injection. I start from the bottom of the damage where the worm is and stick the needle in many places through out the damage ( this kills the worm ) while injecting a couple mm of Knock Down. After I have finished with that, I put about 4" of soil over the wound where the plant will put on more roots and survive.

[slr]

how do you keep bees from getting stuck in the trap?

[MyTNMtnHome]

This video was several years ago. How did the traps do?

[inhibited]

a Burpee person recommended that I sift the SVB babiess from the soil. They are little red things.

[Amanda-cnpk]

Great video, but next time no music very distracting

[sallywasagoodolgal]

If you're growing in containers, why not make a netting cover for them? You could probably get all the net you want at the Salvation Army, off old prom dresses. If the moth can't get to the plant, it can't lay eggs on it.

[inhibited]

I couldn't find zucchini seeds or plants after Mid June this year to replant - LOL.

[sandy-rrby]

i haven't had an over abundant squash problem this year either.

[robertmeyer]

I was advised about planting bachelor buttons along with the squash. BB have medical advantages from what the old timers tell me. The flowers had been used for fever reduction. Vine borers cannot survive the presence of bachelor buttons. We are also planting later in the season. I have purchased hybrid squash seeds. These seeds will out produce and of course are self pollinating.

[inhibited]

there is a video about squash bug by OAG (old alabama grower) using aluminum foil. He shows how his aluminum plants grow and the non-aluminum plants die.

[FensterfarmGreenhouse]

Inject a mixture of BT and water into the hollow stem about 2"s above the entrance spot / damage. The grub will ingest the BT and die inside the plant but the plant will not suffer like it does when you cut them out. BT does not harm the plant either.
Chuck

[dschott]

Many good lessons learned here. Another poss solution: when the plants are small yet stout/big enough to wrap foil around the stem, pull some dirt away from the plant just deeper than the larvae lay waiting to wreck havoc. Wrap with foil and pull the dirt you removed back around the base with plenty of foil left above ground level. I watched a video that referenced and showed the process and the only reason I think they had no problems after using this method when others do is the the pulling the dirt away, poss because the only way the borers can access their target is by 'coming close to or actually just at the ground/surface level to penetrate the stalk, which is I think what they do. Either way, then spray a soap/water solution (I"m going to try a 50:50 ratio), then spread dried coffee grounds after the base of the plant is dry. Then watch the plants like a hawk.
I am anxious to hear about results so great gardening to you all!
And Thunder Ridge Homestead thank you for one of the very best videos on the subject I have ever seen!

[barbarapatton]

I appreciate your video and even though you are struggling with this squash boers And have not been successful yet to find a cure it blesses me to know that I am not the only person in the world that’s having this terrible struggle so I’m glad to hear about this trap thing and hope to find one of those for myself around here I have several squash plants different varieties and all of them I’ve been trying to operate on them to get the boers out and sometimes I’m successful but most of the time the plant just dies even if I get rid of the boers

[delsakelly]

The borer kills my interest in planting zucchini. I had two in a pot. Growing good and healthy and all of sudden it just flop and helpless. I discover the borer inside the main stem. The second zucchini is ver healthy and blooming but the flowers are male . I feel like discarding it. But I still hope there's some help to turn into female flower.

[DSkye-nm]

I’m going to want to use a flamethrower!

[marielefebvre]

Last year I flushed out the larva by cutting a leaf higher than than the worm and ran soapy water through the hollow stem of the squash plant. Then I covered the stem damage with coffee grounds and mud. They didn’t like the coffee grounds and they stayed away from the stems at the ground level. It saved them for awhile and I was able to get a few squash from each plant.

[NomadMechanic]

I saw a man would loosely wrap strips of aluminum foil starting at the base of the stem, as it's growing, removing lower leaves until about one foot is covered. Dust the foil and dirt around the stem.

[johnjude]

Yes I have never once brag about how much garden food gets wasted.
Once had a neighbor who love saying about how much just going to waste, I know he never once asked our family if we could use anything from his beloved garden.
I'm growing twice than I need and my uncle and cousins get the extras, Win win win.