They are a little early this year, but they mark the end of the summer squash season fror me. Of course I have picked so much this year that I almost welcome them. They will take out the cucumbers also. I could control them with insecticides but it is more trouble than its worth right now. Have to spray a short life insecticide late in the day after the bees quit working and I am whipped by suppertime.
Rotten little monsters! Have you tried Thuricide and such, or are they just too overwhelming to control?
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/cabarrus/staff/dgoforth/newsart/beepol.html
Bt preparations have little effect. These things are larvae but they eat little of the exposed fruit and Bt is a stomach poison. Endosulfan (Thiodan) is recommended, and Carbaryl (Sevin) will work. These are contact poisons and cannot be used when bees are active. That means you should only spray in the twilights last gloaming. The idea is to get the adult and/or destroy the eggs. Once the larvae tunnel into the fruit, the battle is over.
Those things sure area pest! I've tried starting a later-season crop of cukes and such hoping they won't be around so much then but to no avail. Seems like once they show up they're here to stay!
Pickle worms were attacking some squash that I needed to save for seed and I lost a few until we slipped them into nylon hose secured with twist ties. We tried Thiodan, Lannate and Bt combinations, but the pickle worm population built up so fast that it was useless. The only thing that stopped them was the hose. It worked with canteloupe as well. I sure looked funny in my farm clothes buying a dozen pairs of sheer knee-highs.
hah!!!.....
what a site!
One pleasant surprise. The pickle worms have taken out the cucumbers, the yellow crooknecks and the Sunburst, but they haven't yet touched the white bush scallops or the zucchini. Coincidence, or they don't like these?
F-dill....I've noticed I don't get plagued w/bugs on the white scallop either (w/the exception of stink/squash bugs).
Now mine have bit the dust (cus of the squash bugs) but I'm gonna start some more in cell packs and set out in a different part of the garden in a week or so for a later crop.
bump...
I'll have to remember the hose thing for the cucumbers...between the hose on my maters so I can have pure seeds and the hose on the cucumbers for the bugs...what next? Girdle on the beans?
Saint
oops :)
This message was edited May 31, 2005 1:52 AM
Hey spectrum! This thread was started in July of last year and recently got bumped by TamaraFaye because she thought it might be useful in the oncoming season. :)
Haha, gee gosh!
Finally found out what bump meant. Least, think I have.
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May I offer a pickel for this year, 5/31/05 lol....
slap some vinegar and salt on that puppy and pass it this way Charlie!
