The best defense is plant early for a crop prior to mid July. The pickle worm is the larvae of a moth that doesn't over winter but does migrate up the coast from FL. each year. It reaches me here in central SC around July. For later cucurbit crops like winter squash and pumpkins spray the fruit and base of each plant once a week with and solution of BT mixed with safer soap. This is a OMRI approved organic control and is 100% effective for me against Pickel worms Squash vine borers and Squash bugs. No need to spray the entire plants only the base of each plant and the fruit. On cucumbers and summer squash it is just as easy to spray the whole plant but for vining winter squash and pumpkins only spray the base of the plant and each fruit once a week. Rodger
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