Squash borers

Haven't ever heard of liquid seaweed as a deterrent to SVBs. What kind of marigolds seemed to work for him? Some have an odor and others don't and I think it's the more odoriferous ones that make a difference.

I have used silver mulch for SVBs, and last year I got a lot of zucchini and other summer squash before the squash bugs took over. I haven't actually seen any SVB signs this year on my plants, but the squash bugs have been fierce. You might want to try the silver mulch, too. I'm using neem oil for the squash bugs but I thought I had them under control and stopped checking, and the other day I found that my plants were loaded with them - adults, nymphs and eggs.

John, I imagine that the SVBs were settling on less attractive hosts, but it's amazing the way critters can find their habitats. We dug a pond and suddenly got frogs, for instance. But I am surprised that the SVBs found your garden so quickly. We grew squash very successfully for years before the bugs got to them.

All this direct attack on the borer may work, but it is so labor intensive that it is hardly worth the effort, even if you have only a few plants. My attempts to control the borers with Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) consisted of spraying the base of the plant with BT in hopes that the newly hatched larvae would take a bite and be killed before they had a chance to hide in the stem. No luck. I've now decided to try the timing solution. "They say" that mama comes to lay her eggs around the last week in June and the first week or two of July (here in central Georgia). Planting squash early enough to get a good harvest before the moth shows up and/or after the middle of July to get a late summer crop sounds to me like the way to go. Maybe it's better to avoid the pest than to try to beat it to death!

Silver mulch isn't labor intensive; you put it down and that's it. But timing might help. It was too cold here to plant squash early enough to miss the SVBs, but later could work.

Marigolds attract spiders that prey on aphids etc, the old fashioned edible type marigolds more so than the fancy new ones. Flowers are always a good addition to home gardens, sweet flowers can pull in the pollinators, lantana draws whiteflies (which pulls them off your garden) then they can also add pretty to a vase inside, the old Dahlias, and such were there for purpose. Moles dont like alliums, which can protect your plants, too

Neem Oil.

1 oz neem oil
1 oz liquid dish soap
1 gallon water

Spray generously on top and underside of leaves and stems.
Do not apply in direct sunlight-apply in early morning or late evening.

We bought a quart of neem oil - it was the smallest size available at the time.
They do have some ready made available in some of our local garden stores now.


This really works. I have zucchini for the first time in 5 years!
Unfortunately they found my cucumbers!

I looked up Neem Oil in wikipedia and it works on other pests as well:

Formulations made of neem oil also find wide usage as a bio-pesticide for organic farming, as it repels a wide variety of pests including the mealy bug, beet armyworm, aphids, the cabbage worm, thrips, whiteflies, mites, fungus gnats, beetles, moth larvae, mushroom flies, leafminers, caterpillers, locust, nematodes and the Japanese beetle. Neem oil is not known to be harmful to mammals, birds, earthworms or some beneficial insects such as butterflies, honeybees and ladybugs. It can be used as a household pesticide for ant, bedbug, cockroach, housefly, sand fly, snail, termite and mosquitoes both as repellent and larvicide (Puri 1999). Neem oil also controls black spot, powdery mildew, anthracnose and rust (fungus).


Good Luck.

How often or how frequently have you applied the neem oil solution? Congratulations on your zucchini!

You have to be careful with Neem oil as it will kill beneficials as well, especially bees, so don't apply when the bees are out and about.

Stephanie, didn't you say that beneficial nematodes were good for those, or was it squash bugs? Somewhere there needs to be a compendium of people's suggestions and what's worked!

The squash vine borer larvae overwinter in the soil. Beneficial nematodes would help kill those.

Thanks, Stephanie. I suppose it would make the most sense to spread the nematodes where you had squash the previous year? I can't imagine doing the whole garden!

I found a couple of things that work for the SVBs. First I spray the plants with spinosad every 10 days or so. It is harmful to bees, so don't spray when they are active. I have pickle worms too, so that helps control them also. Next I set out yellow bowls of soapy water. The SVBs are attracted to the yellow and drown in the water. Another solution was completely by accident. I bought a yellow fly trap (which has caught lots of other nasty bugs, no beneficials so far) and the adult SVBs go into the trap and die.
We grow squash and zucchini all year round and the borers are worse in the summer, not so much of a problem in the winter.
I find pupae cases in the soil when replanting, they are brown and about half inch long. Are those SVBs? I couldn't decide if they were cutworms or svbs. I also have hundreds of green tiger beetles (good guys) in the garden, so have to be careful I don't kill them.

Those little cases aren't SVBs. I don't remember what they are, something like flies...something common, but I know they're not borers.

I am really excited by the promise of using yellow fly traps, or yellow soapy water bowls, for SVBS!!! Passive and organic, my style.

Uh, SallyG, I believe that's passive aggressive!

That works too--when dealing with garden pests! Its War out there

I wonder whether the yellow bowls would work for squash bugs, as well. Any thoughts on the matter?

I don't remember seeing any squash bugs in there. I scout the plants looking for eggs and have really reduced the number of those in the garden.

I wonder if they are attracted to the yellow because it's the same color as the flowers??

A shop vac works well on the squash and stink bugs. My husband attaches a panty hose to the base of the intake hose and collects them in that, then he squashes them.

I'm just picturing myself lugging the vacuum cleaner down my severly overgrown squash row! I have to learn to plant things farther apart.

DH says he wonders what the neighbors think he's doing vacuuming the garden! LOL

I have been using surround - a very fine clay, approved for organic use - for svb and have had really good results. Last year I had 3 plants for the whole summer. I spray all the stems of the plant (not the leaves), about every week or other week,enough to cover the stems of the plant with the white clay color. It does not wash out with rain, but does have to be re-applied as the plant grows.
It is very effective at keeping the vsb from entering the stem, as long as I don't let it go for too many weeks without spraying. The best thing about it is that it is a physical barrier, so it does not affect the bees and other beneficials.
HTH
Yara
Roswell GA zone 7b

Yara, that sounds great!

So far, my favorite solution to the SVB problem is the passive one that involves timing: Plant as early as possible; harvest as many squash as you can before the borers hit; as soon as you see evidence of borers, plant more seeds. Apparently, momma sphinx moth comes by to lay eggs sometime in June, then she's done. By the time the new plantings are up and going, she's gone and you only will have to deal with much less lethal pests from then until frost! Seems to work.

I'm still finding silver mulch to work well with SVBs. I haven't had a problem with them since I've started using it. On the other hand the squash bugs have taken over and have been killing my plants before I can get many squash.

Cymbablariadave- sounds good!

Dave,
When do you plant your first crop of squash? If I sow seeds at the end of June for a first crop, could I bring in a harvest before our first frost sometime between Nov 15-December 15?

Linda

Speaking of silver mulch, I guess I do a poor man's version of it. I make a little tin foil collar for each stem, scrunching it closed down at the base of the plant. I feel positively gleeful to sit on my patio and watch those orange devils flying around, working and working to get anywhere near the base of the plant -- and finally flying off in frustration.

I did an experiment earlier with two hills of acorn squash right next to each other -- one hill had the tin foil, one didn't. I now have only one hill of squash there. Can't prove it was the tin foil that saved it, but I'm thinking it's pretty likely.

And I can't promise that it will always work -- but so far, so good, for me.

The foil will not only deter the svbs but also create a physical barrier. I'm sure that's what did the trick. I have seen other people report that sheets of aluminum foil would have the same effect as silver mulch, but it didn't work as well for me; possibly I was applying it incorrectly.

Also,
Are ya'll using heavy duty foil vs. regular, everyday foil? That could make a difference, too.

I used a make-shift row cover this spring and it has worked like a charm. I would cover my zucchini plants in the morning and uncover them when I got home in the evening. I stopped doing this by the time the female flowers appeared and I now have zukes coming out of my ear. I'm not sure if the moths got bored and went elsewhere or what. I need to add tin foil though, just in case. I know they will be back.

Early planting and multiple plants are good strategies as well. I have a smaller plant growing as one of my backups but I think it is also a zuke-- need to sow yellow squash now.

I also use a syringe (flavor injector) to inject rubbing alcohol in case an SVB breaches my defenses. I had one SVB infection last month (prior to my row cover) so I enjected the stem but could not dispense the alcohol. I pulled out the needle to examine the syringe and it turned out I had lanced the SVB, lol.

I just use the cheapest foil possible.

Rubbing alcohol, eh? That's a new one to me. I'm surprised that the plant doesn't mind? I guess it's preferable to a SVB, in any case!

Speaking of squash, I cut open a spaghetti squash for dinner yesterday and thought to save the seeds. I rinsed them well and spread them on a plate to dry. I have NO idea if this is a hybrid (probably), but, can I plant those seeds someday (not today) and maybe get another squash?

Sure!

Will these run all over and grow huge?

No way to know, since they won't be true to the parent if they're from a hybrid. Most squash do run all over, though, so it's a good bet that they will.

Oregano and borage planted with squash is supposed to help along with nastursiums. Since they're all eddible atleast if they don't work you can still add them to your salads.

Of course there's no way to tell in a particular spaghetti squash is a hybrid, but there are OP varieties, so you might be in luck. Considering that commercially produced ones probably grew in a whole mass planting of SS, they probably didn't cross with anything odd:). No guarantees, but worth a shot.
Besides, you might get something wonderful!

Thanks for the encouragement, Catmad!

I'll plant some seeds in a 15 gallon tub this weekend. Should I direct seed or try to start them in the house first?