Apparently a red belly moth (looks like a wasp) flies around laying 200 eggs (one at a time) on squash plants. Looking back, I remember running screaming from the garden thinking a wasp was flying around. Must have been the moth! Anyway, they lay eggs all over the place, but you can't see them because they are tiny. When the eggs hatch the larva quickly bore into the vine and start eating the plant. Once they are nice fat caterpillars they leave the plant and bore into the ground to pupate. In the North there is only one generation of this lovely pest per year. However, here in the South we can have 2 generation. To save your plant you must do surgery immediately upon seeing the borer's poop, but saving the plant is a long shot. Slice the vine open, dig out the slimey little thing and kill it.I pulled all my dead squash and zucchini plants out of the ground tonight. I also pulled out the cantaloupe plant that had become infected and was knocking on death's door.
Here are a few things I found in the dirt:
These are not the Squash Vine Borer's eggs because they are clustered. Remember, the smart little moth lays eggs one at a time making them hard to see. My question for you gardeners is, what kind of eggs are these?
These little white balls are all over the place in both garden beds. I am assuming they are time release fertilizer. When I squish them liquid squirts out.If you've read to the end of my post here are my questions:
Can I start over this season with new squash plants? Is it too late?
3 comments:
What investigative reporting! I love the science lesson!
Oh dear... let's see if I can remember everything. Also, you know my number. :-) First, as you know, I extend my deepest gardening sympathies. Not sure my stuff will survive either. Nasty bugs! Okay, I think the little balls that squirt are probably fertilizer. I think the red-brown eggs are squash bugs. Not squash vine borers, but squash bugs. (How anyone ever complains of having too much squash and zucchini in this climate is beyond me, what with all the cucurbit pests that abound in OK!) Squash bugs are also known as one of the varieties of stink bugs. By the way, leaf-footed stink bugs seem to especially love tomatoes. Guess what 3 things I've found the most in MY garden this year? Yup: squash vine borers, stink bugs, and leaf-footed stink bugs. GRRR!!! (This is all assuming I'm doing my entomology work correctly.) Okay! So definitely get rid of all the vines that are dead; as the stink/ squash bugs tend to overwinter in debris, including the old vines that may be left lying around by some disheartened gardener. The cocoon pic's -- not sure, but wouldn't surprise me if that's what they are. And if you've got the seed, I say there's no harm in trying to plant again. But look at it as more of an experiment, and don't hold your breath. Number one, it is awfully hot right now, and they may or may not germinate well in this heat. Number two, if they DO germinate the heat may kill the tiny plants before they can get big enough to deal with the heat. Number three, my squash and zucchini packets both say it's about 7-8 weeks to maturity. So planting this weekend puts them at production age at the very end of Sept - beg. of Oct. If memory serves (and it often does not), our typical first frost date is Oct. 15. But that's not a hard and fast rule; and last year we were pulling tomatoes out of the garden for Thanksgiving! I know tomatoes and squash are different, but still.... it might work! In fact, I think you've inspired me to pull out my beans that aren't doing anything (and I don't know why) and try a second crop of squashes! If the borers get to have two generations down here, then why not my squash too!? --Catherine
We had the same problem with our zucchini. We had a bad case of squash bugs. You have to be diligent at picking the live bugs off, killing them (which apparently the stuff that squishes out smells like an apply jolly rancher), and then scraping the eggs they already laid off the back side of the leaves. We did good for a while and then took 2 weeks of vacation. We came back to dead zucchini. :-( Not sure if there is a more effective way, but we may need help next summer.
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