I just saw a few squash vine borers flying around my cucurbits. When this happened last year all the plants (eventually) died.My half-hearted google searches didn't turn up anything useful, so I thought I'd throw it open to our vast readership.
What should I do?
6 comments:
Russ sent this to me via email -
Here’s one link from the EB site that talks about the squash vine borer:
http://forum.earthbox.com/index.php?topic=2129.0
And another…
http://forum.earthbox.com/index.php?topic=616.0
-Russ
...........
I saw a few solutions there: row covers, organic pesticide which may or may not work on the SVB, or a homemade Jerry Baker "juice".
Or I could wait them out. If they die fast enough(!?), I can still get another batch in before it frosts. I think.
So sorry to hear this, Bruce.
Wikipedia says:
Others use a stiff wire, a needle, or a toothpick to kill the borer without too much damage.
So you could perform surgery, but please have coffee first.
H2
One thing you can do Bruce while you're having your coffee is to admire the photo you took. What an awesome creature. Great shot!
Thanks Bob. Yes, I took that shot.
Not with my camera, but from the wikipedia page.
Looks like next year I'm going to try planting some nasturtiums around the cucurbits.
From Wikipedia:
Nasturtiums are also considered widely useful companion plants. They repel a great many cucurbit pests, like squash bugs, cucumber beetles, and several caterpillars. They had a similar range of benefits for brassica plants, especially broccoli and cauliflower. They also attract black fly aphids, and are sometimes planted in the hope of saving crops susceptible to them (as a trap crop). They may also attract beneficial, predatory insects.
(found in a Yahoo Container Gardening thread)
What's the status on your borers, Bruce?
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