Found a Solution for Squash Vine Borers

Commanding_Heights · Heavy Crude Joined: Nov 09, 2006 Posts: 210

If you have squash vine borers you know how quickly they can kill a squash, pumpkin or zucchini. Not a good thing in a post PO survival situation. I hate pesticides and not to mention they don't work because when you have vine borers it's usually too late due to the fact they are in the base/vine of your plant. The tell tell sign of them are tiny holes on the trunk of the plant with a saw dust looking mixture coming out of the hole. Every year they decimate my plants. So this year I tried an experiment. I took one of those turkey injectors that you use for deep frying turkeys and used it to inject a hydrogen peroxide/water solution into their bore tunnels. When I could I would also stab them. This worked great. It sure beat the only other solution I've ever read which is taking a razor blade and slicing the plant open to fish for them. That killed most of my plants. This did not. Give it a try!

madrid · Tar Sands Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 40

I am so glad someone brought this up. Last year all our Zucchini plants were killed by the vine borers that I am told are the larvae of the white cabbage moths. I live in New Jersey, where these vine borers are a constant problem. As a result we bought two kinds of zucchini and squash plants that are supposedly resistant to the cabbage moth being able to lay its eggs on the stem. So far this year, we have not had any problems with the vine borers. The two kinds are Zucchini Squash Costata Romanesco from Italy, which you can buy through Jonny's seeds, and Hybrid Summer Squash, round Geode F1 from France, also sold through Johny Seed.

The way these plants work, I am told, is that the spikes on the leaf stems are so long that the moths cannot lay their eggs on them. And it is true, whenever I try to inspect these plants, I invariably get little spikes in my fingers, which hurt like crazy.

The other thing that I have found to work (perhaps someone with more experience might confirm this) is to put tin foil around the lower stems. This is in any case, what my wife's family does in Tuscany, Italy with squash in order to protect it, although the vine borers there are apparently not as bad as here.

madrid · Tar Sands Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 40

By the way, could you tell me what part of the country you live in?

And also, what's the ratio of water to hydrogen peroxide you are using?

thanks.

Ludi

I've read that mulching the squash plants with aromatic herbs works to repel the adult borers from laying eggs.
_________________
"...powerdown so soft and fluffy you'll think you're living in a pillow." - jboogy

kjmclark · Heavy Crude Joined: Dec 09, 2005 Posts: 326

Some things we've tried (Great Lakes region):

- inject nematodes - unclear if this worked, and expensive

- inject Bt - works, but you have to start early and inject in multiple places. However, Bt is pretty cheap, and organic. This is now our preferred method.

- slice and remove, burying sliced sections in compost - mostly worked, but very time consuming and you have to be sure to water lots for a week or so afterward.

- spray every week with Bt - probably works, but we're not good at that level of diligence

- surround the plants with nasturtiums - probably worked, and nasturtiums are edible and grow easily. Eventually they start to take over though.

kjmclark · Heavy Crude Joined: Dec 09, 2005 Posts: 326

Fishman

The squash vine borer is the only bug that I seem unable to whip except with Sevin dust. Everything else in my garden is organic. This is one tough bug to prevent. I'm trying diatom. earth this year as a preventive.

manu · Intermediate Crude Joined: Jul 26, 2006 Posts: 760

Has anyone tried moth traps?

antcoloNY · Coal Joined: Jun 30, 2007 Posts: 1

Hi from s.e. Pa. tis a beautiful summer morn,
birds are chirping and squash borers are borin.
wood ashes and lime spread around base of plant
seems to have put a dent in their appetite , a couple of flowers produced Zuchinni , which hasn't been the case over the last several years.

NoLogos · Tar Sands Joined: Nov 13, 2006 Posts: 68

You could plant your squash a little late, so your vines are too small for the borers. However, there are usually several generations a year and they eventually get into nearly every plant. If your plant is surrounded by other plants, the odds are better that the borers will not find them.

Once the borers are there, you can shine a bright light thru the stem and find the borers, then kill them with pins. Slitting the stem is do-able, if you slice the stem vertically and the plant doesn't move much afterwards. The plants will survive without burying the stem, but watering is essential and the yield will be reduced (but zukes are pretty prolific).

I haven't ever tried hydrogen peroxide or Bt, even tho it sounds easier. Maybe a weak bleach solution would work? Or maybe a salt solution? If I am sick of zukes when the next generation of borers get around here... Twisted Evil

kjmclark · Heavy Crude Joined: Dec 09, 2005 Posts: 326

Seriously, just inject Bt. I bought ours in a small bottle (1pt.) of concentrate that makes 48 gallons of mixed Bt. Then buy a garden syringe. Make a slightly stronger solution of Bt (a teaspoon in a cup of water), draw it into the syringe, push the syringe into the middle of the squash vine, and inject the Bt.

Just after I wrote my first message above, I went out and found frass on a number of our pumpkin vines. So I took an hour and injected all of our cucurbits, probably 60 injections total. It's really fast; it took more time to get the Bt bottle out and find the syringe than it took to inject everything. Every week or so, mix some more up at double strength and dilute to final strength in a watering can as you water your squashes. Easy.

Two weeks later, no more squash borers. Bt is organic, our 1pt bottle cost $14 and lasts about five years.

Of course, then you have the problem of what to do with all of that squash! Confused