SVB :( What now?

I noticed the telltale signs of SVB on my zucchini and yellow squash today. It made me very sad, because they were doing so well! I caught it really early, though, I think, because the plant is still very healthy looking and there was very little dust near the holes. I also managed to pull one grub right out form the entrance of one of the holes.

So I'm wondering, what do I do now? Should I leave the plants for dead, or should I cut open the vines and pull the beasts out? And if I do that, what do I do to help the plant heal?

Any advice would be very helpful. This is the first year I've had to deal with this problem!

Doesn't it just suck? Everything I've read suggests you should try to keep it going - I was reading somewhere about mounding soil up over the stem where the holes are (once you've removed the larvae). Apparently it'll help the plant root more. By the time I realized the problem, the entire stem was just about rotted through, to the point that the whole upper part of the plant just came off in my hands as I was trying to work around it. But I'm going to try rooting it anyway - I figure, what the hey, it's worth a try? I don't have anything I can put in that square for a couple weeks anyway since it's too early for fall planting, so if it works, it works, and if not, oh well.

Well, I decided not to wait any longer and to attack while the plant was still very healthy. I sliced open my yellow squash and removed one grub. The vine looked perfectly green and healthy above and below where that one grub was, so I assume that means there aren't anymore in there.

The zucchini was a different story, though maybe even more successful. I'm pretty sure it's a grey zucchini, which is a semi-bush type. I never really knew what that meant until I really looked at my two different squash plants today. The yellow squash has one long main vine that just keeps getting longer, whereas the zucchini has a very short main vine and lots of short little side vines. The zucchini is much more compact than the yellow squash, too.

So the SVB went into one of the side vines in the zucchini, but where the side vine meets the main vine is solid and very hard and woody (I couldn't cut into it with my sharp kitchen knife). So the SVB could only go in about an inch or so, which is why he was right there at the entrance of the hole. I think my zucchini fared much better than my yellow squash. I'll make sure to plant that variety again next year!

Well, I obviously missed a SVB in the zucchini, because last night the vine broke off and left half of the plant dead I debated whether or not I should leave the remaining half of the plant in the ground or not, but decided it was best (and most kind to the plant) to pull it up.

I'm not very sad, though. I'm happy to put the poor plant out of its misery. Also, this frees up 4 squares (I planted it on a corner and let it sprawl over the side). And I have just enough time to plant another batch of bush green beans before the first frost! So I prepared the squares and, after a short break, I'll go back out and plant some beans.