Help! What is this creature? And how do I get rid of him?
 

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looks like a squash borer. check for eggs near the base of your plants and other damage in the stems. you'll have to use insecticides to get rid of them. make sure to till your garden after harvesting in the fall, get rid of the squash vines altogether and re-till again in the spring otherwise they'll be back.

Yeah usually they go for the vines. This guy must have strayed off course. Squash Vine Borers are a pretty common problem for many squash growers. You have been quite fortunate if you haven't seen one before.

Lots of info available on line on controls and preventatives. I use row covers to preven t them and to avoid having to use strong pesticides. Once they bore inside the stem or fruit no pesticide can reach them anyway.

Dave

Garlic, Hot Pepper, and Sage Tea is safe and effective. Using it I've gone an entire season without the loss of a single fruit.

It doesn't kill the moth or worms. It confuses the moths so they don't lay their eggs on your squash. No eggs - no worms.

I buy the herbs in large containers from a restaurant supply so they are inexpensive then make a concentrated tea in 6 gallon batches and store it until needed in 2 liter bottles. The concentrated tea makes 12 gallons of spray.

You can harvest the same day you spray.

I use 1 tablespoon of molasses per gallon of spray as a sticker, so it takes a heavy rain to wash it off.

The only down side to it is squash vines and their fruit grow so fast, new growth and fruit has to be sprayed twice a week to keep them protected. Claud

Oh my. I am sooooooooo confused. Forgive me as this is my first year of gardening. I've been reading all day and most articles focus on prevention...not what to do at this point. I only have 5 plants and have already collected several matured squash which were quite tasty. I'm willing to pull up all 5 plants if it will help save my cucumber plants (which are planted so close by). Will that be worse? Should I leave them to eat away at the squash in order to save the cukes? It seemed some articles talked about "sacrificing" plants. I'm willing to do that but will those creatures be lurking in my soil till next year? What if I choose not to grow squash next year? Could I put some diatomaceous earth all over the squash plant? Will that help?

How do I know if the moths are still around verses they have laid their eggs and have now gone?

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No point to pulling the plants. If SVB gets into one it will wilt and die and you can pull it then. Maybe you will continue to be lucky and see no more this year. Plus they normally won't go after cukes if they have squash available. They much prefer squash over cukes so leave the squash to protect the cukes.

But you are right, prevention is the goal with them since once there most pesticides won't work. There are many tricks people try to prevent them - some work at least temporarily, some only make the gardener feel better.

They are seasonal moths and in some parts of the country there is only one season and if that is the case in your location then your season should be about over. But in the deep south there are two life cycles and your local county ag extension office should be able to tell you if that is the case for you.

If you don't want to use row covers, which is proven to be the most effective, then it pays to know what the moths look like, what the eggs on the stems look like, and to check your plants daily for both and remove them. There are various homemade sprays to repel the moths like saltmarsh mentioned, and some pesticide dusts like Bt (Dipel) and yes, DEarth you can dust the stems with but they are only limited in effect. The bottom line is they are a pest we all have to learn to live with so we just plant more squash. ;)

Dave

Went out this morning and saw this....would this be the egg droppings? If so, then I slice open the stem lengthwise and start looking for a worm(s)?

All this is assuming I can even reach this area of my squash. I took this picture through the garden fence. I didn't space my veggies correctly when I first planted. Now I have a crowded mess in there and can't easily access everything.

All this learning is making my brain hurt.:?

Yep there is a borer in there. This pic is far more common than the one crawling out of the fruit. It looks like you also have some eggs there that haven't hatched yet. Can't be sure as they look sort of like dirt does.

[URL="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmasterofhort.com%2F2012%2F04%2Fcontrolling-squash-vine-borers-melittia-cucurbitae%2F&ei=_aqaVc_MO82UyATMjISYDg&bvm=bv.96952980,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNHWkPui3ffXjKLfl4R7Aov_8p0zbg&ust=1436286062938947"]https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmasterofhort.com%2F2012%2F04%2Fcontrolling-squash-vine-borers-melittia-cucurbitae%2F&ei=_aqaVc_MO82UyATMjISYDg&bvm=bv.96952980,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNHWkPui3ffXjKLfl4R7Aov_8p0zbg&ust=1436286062938947[/URL]
Dave

This is the culprit kill on site!!!!!!
They are tough and hard to kill you need a solid surface and a hammer.:lol:
Worth
[IMG]http://www.whatsthatbug.com/wp-content/uploads//2009/08/squash_vine_borer_t.jpg[/IMG]

Thanks for all the help. You have no idea how these larvae, eggs, moths, etc, give me the creeps. So gross.

I can dig, haul heavy stuff, do all kinds of back breaking labor in the heat....but having to deal with the creepy crawlies makes me shiver to the bone. So far, THIS has been the hardest part of gardening. ick.

If you can figure out a way to keep the creepy crawlies out of the garden while letting all the good insects and other good garden residents thrive be sure to let the rest of us know. We can make a mint!

Meanwhile we just have to keep on truckin' and get our satisfaction out of stabbing them with pins and hitting them with hammers. ;)

This latest pic of yours - take a big pin and stab that stem in 8 or 10 places about 3/4 inch apart on both sides of the frass pile them bury the stem under dirt and cross your fingers. Good luck!

Dave

Couple of questions if anyone is still reading this thread...

So went out to the garden last evening in search of the creature. (took my husband and a knife...lol). We couldn't find him but I'm not sure we were looking in the right places. The frass was on an old leave stem and there was nobody home lurking in there. I didn't cut into the main stem of the plant....is that what I was supposed to do?

Also, I did clean up quite a bit of old broken leaf stems and I also cut off some old bloom stems that were no longer any good. And anything else that looked yellow and/or dying. Is that what folks normally do? Cut off and remove old stuff? Does that leave the plant susceptible to insects or disease since the stems are hollow?

Should I go hunting again this evening? This morning I did notice a lot of good honey bee activity in and amongst the plants. That's gotta be good, right?

Sorry for the ignorant questions.

How much garlic, hot peppr and sage is used (per 6 gallons of water?) to make up your solution?

And am I under standing correctly -- your spray mixture is 1 part 'tea' to 1 part H[SIZE=1]2[/SIZE]O[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]???[/FONT][/COLOR]

[QUOTE=saltmarsh;486885]Garlic, Hot Pepper, and Sage Tea is safe and effective. Using it I've gone an entire season without the loss of a single fruit.

I buy the herbs in large containers from a restaurant supply so they are inexpensive then make a concentrated tea in 6 gallon batches and store it until needed in 2 liter bottles. The concentrated tea makes 12 gallons of spray.

You can harvest the same day you spray.

I use 1 tablespoon of molasses per gallon of spray as a sticker, so it takes a heavy rain to wash it off.

The only down side to it is squash vines and their fruit grow so fast, new growth and fruit has to be sprayed twice a week to keep them protected. Claud[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=crmauch;487387]How much garlic, hot peppr and sage is used (per 6 gallons of water?) to make up your solution?

And am I under standing correctly -- your spray mixture is 1 part 'tea' to 1 part H[SIZE=1]2[/SIZE]O[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]???[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

I use a 16 quart Stainless Steel stock pot and a 24 quart enameled canner, because that's what I have.

I put 3 gallons of hot water in each pot and add 1/2 cup of powdered garlic, 1/2 cup of powdered red pepper, and 1/2 cup of powdered (not rubbed) sage to each pot.

Stir and bring to a boil, then allow to boil for 15 minutes. Allow to cool overnight, then strain. I use old stockings and 1 gallon pickle jars for this.

After it is strained, I store it in 2 liter drink bottles because they don't break rolling around in my truck bed.

It will keep without refrigeration for a year.

To use add it to your sprayer along with an equal amount of water.

The strainings can be spread around the base of your plants. Claud