Carrie: 0, Squash Borer: 3 – This is WAR!
Ok. Three years in a row I have lost my zukes and squash to the Squash Borer. I have been in Michigan for the last few weeks and when I came home one of the first things I did was run to the community garden. I was pleasently surprised by the jungle that is my plot, until I looked closer and saw the telltale signs:
A few limp leaves, although most still look healthy and happy
Sawdust looking crust around the base of the plant with lots of holes
Rotting squash on the vine
Dear god of all things good and veggie – why me? Why again? How do I defeat this evil nemesis without dousing my squash in chemicals? (I would take a picture of the sad affair, but alas my camera broke while on vacation in Michigan. Good timing, no? Note – I stole that picture from a website. I hope the squash borer photo stealing police don’t come after me. That’s basically what my plants look like.) I haven’t seen the bastards in the flesh this year, just their mess. I cut one out of my dying zuchinni plant last year, and while I’m usually a pacifist, I can’t say I gave him a noble death. Don’t worry – I didn’t waterboard him – but it wasn’t pretty.
Fellow bloggers – help a sister out. How do I get rid of this? Is it too late if I already see the boring holes? I want information and preferably not chemicals in my arsenal for next year. I WILL have Zukes. Next year, victory is mine. (And maybe I’m not too late this year?)
This
IS
WAR
!
(More posts and pics coming soon. Really – I mean it this time. My roof garden is rocking!)
Yeah they are my nemesis also. Here in Massachusetts we get the eggs laid in july. Luckily we are far enough north to only get one lifecycle of borer. So I figure my current zucchini will be goners soon, but I have a second crop underway that I planted in early July. I’m keeping them under row covers until the borer adults are gone. That ought to keep me in zucchini. It is hard to kill borers. They are protected inside the stem. If I find their frass outside the stem, I’ll carefully slice into the stem where it went in and keep going until I find it and kill it. Then I wrap the stem up with something like an old rag to hold the stem together. Some people bury the stem under the ground, but awfully hard to do with a zucchini stem, easier with trailing vines. Next year I’ve sworn to grow resistant varieties. Butternut squash is resistant. And supposedly there is one variety of zucchini that is resistant. I forget its name right now, but it is slightly different from most zucchinis, very fluted on the outside and the taste is supposedly nuttier.
Thanks Daphne! I searched the internet and next year I’m trying the Tromboncino Squash. When it’s young the fruit are very much like zukes and it’s borer resistant! YAY!
So glad to have you back! I can’t wait to see pictures of the roof garden– and I can’t wait to hang out tomorrow!!!!
Oh no
I’m sorry this is happening to you. This year I planted the Black Beauty zuchinni squash in a pot and they seem to be bug free. On the other hand I’m battling with japanese beettle and I understand how frustrating it is. The beetles leave my vegetables alone buy they destroy my flowers. Yesterday I sprayed an organic bug spray across my plants and hopefully the battles will stay out of my garden. I understand it’s very discouraging when you put so much work into it and the bugs just destroy it.
Oh, man, that is a pain of all pains. I know nothing about the borer, knock on wood, but I wonder if there’s a companion plant (or five) that will deter them?
Kick ass.
My handy-dandy horticulture desk reference suggests mint, nasturtiums (these are beautiful and are supposed to deter whiteflies, too), radishes, beans, corn, catnip, tansy, or sunflowers. I say, replace the “or” with “and”.
I just pulled up my last gorgeous squash plant before of those evil borers! I have heard that IF you can remove them, and then tape up the stems, you will succeed. Mine were too far gone…..holey stems, twisted. Odd thing, though, the plant was bloomin’ its bloomin’ head off! I got one shriveled mushy patty pan from four bushes…all the squashes were affected.
I am NOT giving up, though, and will look for some borer resistant varieties.
bobbi c.
central TX