Squash vine borer... eggs.

So I'm out in the garden, admiring things, when the evil black-and-red vine borer flies up and starts laying eggs (I assume) all over my squash plants (the stems of which I tried to cover w/ foil precisely to keep this from happening!). This is not the easiest flying thing to catch. Does anyone know, as the eggs are either microscopic or otherwise very difficult to see, what I can do to kill or remove them? Would brushing the stem lightly with a surgeon's scrubber dipped in neem or insecticidal soap work? I know it must be pointless to apply bt to eggs.

Help. Please. And thanks!

From http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/veg/ef314.htm

I will do it! They are real stinkers. Thanks, Dill.

Are these the same as squash bugs ? I have had an awful time with them.
They lay clusters of brown eggs on the leaves of my squash plants. Then when they hatch, you can see little tiny gray looking bugs with black legs.
I've lost several plants to these nasty little guys.

Nope. The squash bug is totally different critter in the stinkbug family.

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/veg/ef314.htm

OK... where is a photo of that "evil black and red" bug? That had better not be the insect I saw swarming my milkweed last week -- I assumed that was a milkweed bug!

Found a photo! http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/veg/ef314.htm

I don't think I've ever noticed the adult moth in my garden.... but I sure can't keep squash plants alive long enough to harvest more than 1 or 2 little squash! I've been killing back the grassy stuff that's trying to take over under the fruit trees (near where I was planting the squash), so maybe that will help for next year.

That is a great site; very clear photos. Thanks, critter.

I often see the borer in the garden! She's a fast flier, but not as hard to catch when laying the eggs. The only (squashy) plant that didn't have this problem last year was a pumpkin that grew amongst some thick clover. I wondered if the clover didn't confuse the borer. I am growing a squash in straw bales, too, this year, in hopes that the lack of soil would confuse her, but I don't think it will work. I am also planting new seeds as I try and destroy eggs so that if this crop doesn't make it, the next might.

Okay, there are no pictures of the borer eggs on the internet. They are apparently "the size of a pencil point, brown, and flattened."

Sigh.

I take it back! There's a good photo of the eggs in this post. Maybe all the state cooperative extensions could get this photo since they don't seem able to take one themselves. http://helpfulgardener.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=14755&sid=782f6b88962f429b3f7d0be960b8ed08

We lost all our zucchini to the squash bug & cucumber beetle this spring so I re-seeded 4th of July week-end and am trying row cover - so far so good. I was going to take it off when they start blooming. It's super-light Insect Barrier from Gardens Alive http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=2001. I'll put more information in my journal and update the progress there. IT'S CUCURBIT WAR -- wish me luck!

Looks good! Do report back. I killed a borer yesterday. I've tried row cover but I hate to hand pollinate (LAZY) and here the borers seem to stick around.

Did you try the foil? I still haven't had any borers this year. I do have some squash bugs, but no borers. I had them last year without the foil.

Edited to say that supposedly the eggs are near the base of the stem. I keep wondering if they are going to "think" that the base of the stem is where the foil stops. I dunno, but so far it works.

This message was edited Jul 14, 2006 3:55 PM

CMoxon, my encounter w/ the borer was AFTER I covered the stems w/ foil as best I could. Ah, well.

Darn....I wonder if the eggs were laid before? That's crummy. I am having a significant problem with squash bugs this year instead. I didn't have them last year. If it's not one thing, it's another. I have been out there with my flower snips, cutting the squash bugs in half. They stink. I may end up resorting to a bit of Sevin. There are so many.

I need to update. Two vines are dead. When I went out to pick squash yesterday, three borers flew away from the plants as I bent down to look at the leaves. Next year I'll have to think carefully about row covers/hoop housing.

I replanted 4th of July with row cover the plants are busting out at the seams. No bugs -- hopefully we're past the swarm? I uncovered the zukes, spaghetti squash & seminole pumpkins but was going to leave the cukes and other winter squash covered until they bloom. I'll let you know how they fair. Hopefully we won't get something new like pickle worms.

Zeppy, you bring up an interesting point about the clover. We are in the habit of undersowing sweet clover to our squash plants a la Elliot Coleman in The New Organic Grower. I'm wondering if this may be why we haven't had problems with vine borers? You might consider undersowing the clover on a patch of your squash to see if it makes a difference. The clover will help feed the squash and if it keeps the borers away it would be a lot less work.

I'd be thrilled if it helps with the squash, and I think I'll try it. But I think I was mistaken: I believe the other pumpkin vines succumbed to the bacterial wilt brought by cuke beetles. Either way, I'll give the clover a try. Now that I've watched the borer in action, though, I'm not sure what would deter her from laying her eggs. She's amazing.

Jozeeben, lovely garden! Do let us know how it goes.

Zeppy, do you use green manures regulary in your garden? This practice helps build up the soil microbes and wards off many bacterial and fungal wilts. My intuition is telling me that you have something out of balance, or missing, in your garden that is allowing the beetles and borers to be so strong. Please don't take that as a criticism of your garden- it's not intended to be. I know that it can take a while to understand what our gardens want us to do to help them grow.

I lost two of my heirloom German Butterball Potato plants to verticillium wilt this year.
I was shocked! I've been gardening over thirty years and this is the first time I've lost anything to verticillium. This is also the first time I've planted potatoes in a new garden without first growing a cover crop. Lesson learned the hardway.

Oh, I'm a newish gardener; no offense taken. I'll certainly try a green manure: I've got the seeds already. Is there one you'd recommend, or do you tailor the cover crop to the upcoming one (clover to squash, buckwheat to potatoes, etc.) I do like to choose one that can handle the cold.

I hoped that keeping my chickens in the garden through the first half of winter would have removed a lot of larvae, but that borer's a good flier. There are many non organic gardens in my neighborhood, and I sometimes wonder if that doesn't make certain pests more bent on a meal at my place.

I found that zinnias planted along with squash 's will help control japanese beetles ,
I went to a farm and the woman their showed me all the jap beetle were on her zinnias the squahs looked wonderful.
I wish it worked for the cuc beetle too.
I ended up pulling my squash it is too infected iwth the beetles an they were getting on my maters .
jozeeben im new to the row covers what is it that you use to cover them ? if i can ask a dumb quest , due to the fact i m new LOL :)
Garden-mermaid , you say cover crops work , i will have to try that . :)
sue

It's super-light Insect Barrier from Gardens Alive (made from nonwovens fabric): http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=2001 I covered two rows which was probably a mistake. It's been less than a month and the plants have stretched it tight and I noticed that some of the stems were broken. It needs to come off when the plants start blooming so insects can polinate or you can hand polinate and recover it there's not too many plants. The cuke beetles are on my Italian edible gourd but it doesn't seem to mind yet. We've been eating them in the salad every night and like it better than the zucchinis.

hmm sounds like an idea i might try nest season
thanks
sue

Jozeeben
have you tried the pvc pipe as a tent style row cover? or does that permit bugs in with all the room above the plant.?
I was thinking next yr i will try this type.
sue

It would work with hoops as well.

Thanks Zeppy
I saw a idea with row cover and a green house made from the 1/4 in pvc an it bends to make like hoops. I thought i would try it next yr for a green house and some row covers.
sue

I usually use wire because I got a big bundle from http://groworganic.com/item_SER250_WireForHoopsBundleOf100.html (I think it's a lot cheaper than the PVC). On the super light they say you don't need hoops, so I didn't use them on the squash and the plants did look OK. I use the wires with the heavier cover that I use for winter lettuce. I took the cover off the squash this week-end and the plants looked pretty good -- a little spindly and some broken stems (high winds last week) but no bugs. However the squash bugs have already started to find them. I think they've been hanging out in the gourds, waiting & lurking, and jumped as soon as they found something they like better. Gourds are just too hard to kill!

those look great to me :) wish i had more room , next season i will have a more thought out garden. LOL trying to convience DH to rip our more sod so i can have more garden LOL
sue

A few days ago (wish I'd had my camera!) there were a male & female borer mating on one of the squash leaves. Insult to injury, I swear.