Spaghetti squash are NOT immune to the Evil SVB!

I had eight spaghetti squashes (Small Wonder type) that had turned yellow and were looking soooo nice. I went out to check on them last week and saw a hole and that Evil Squash Vine Borer frass coming out of three of them. I could not believe it! Yesterday I checked the remaining five and four of those were invaded too! I am now down to one, but I have my doubts about it too. They never bothered the vines, mind you, just the squash! I am so disgusted, mad, and at a loss at what to do organically to fight this nasty moth and its larvae. I can't inject the squash with Bt! I am open for sympathy and suggestions.

Our zucchini and yellow squash were destroyed by them too. I had 3 zucchini and 5 yellow squash total. The invasion happened while we were away this July. Last year we were more vigilant on checking for eggs, and injecting the vines with Bt, but this summer they got ahead of us. It's a never ending battle!

I also did a second planting of zucchini, but I'm not sure it will bear fruit before frost. I also am trying that heirloom Lemon Squash and the first little squash is just about big enough to pick. Very large plants and leaves for such tiny squashes! They grow more like small trees than vines, with very few tendrils. I am trying to weave it through a vertical nylon trellis, but the vines are fragile -- oops! They are reported to be SVB resistant, but the vines are hollow, so the jury is still out. If I plant them again next year, I think I'll go for a wooden trellis and twine. The final decision will be based on taste!

The good news is I have 8 nice butternut squashes that I think will make it to maturity.

pattipan

Oh Patti that is terrible. I've had issues with my squashes also. out of the 20 squash plants I have harvested 1 zucchini, 3staightneck, and 3 of the early maturing spaghetti squashes. I had issues with SVB too. Sorry no suggestions but a lot of sympathy.

I would make bags with draw strings for the remaining untouched fruits out of insect barrier or tule that keep those little:evil: out.

(HUGS) I would be ticked! I'm sorry for your loss due to the moth. Here's hoping the others make it thru.

Oh, I'm so sorry, pattipan. I had no idea that the larvae would attack the actual squash, not just the vine.

I lost some zucchini plants to the borers. I then wrapped the remaining plants' stems in aluminum foil, a tip I'd read. So far, it seems to be keeping them out of the stems, but I never imagined they would attack the fruit of the plants!

Shannon's idea of the drawstring bags to protect the fruit sounds like great idea and is one I'll remember for the future!

I hope you'll have better luck with your butternut squash and be able to successfully harvest them!

I use the bags to keep the stink and big legged bugs off my tomatoes.

Shannon, I remember that you had posted about that and I plan to try that, too. I have had a lot of leaffooted bug nymphs in my garden this year, especially on my southern peas. I kept a real close watch and hand picked (squished) them as fast as I found them - didn't see very many that made it to adulthood.

I haven't been bothered yet with stink bugs. I can't believe that, but I guess there's still time. I just went and searched the Internet (not here on the forum search engine) for stink bugs to see if they're usually a big problem in the fall here in coastal Mississippi. Guess what - my own post here on the forum popped up! LOL.

I'm thinking there might be something to the idea that planting various crops together, rather than a whole bed of one kind of veggie, might actually work to keep some pests from finding the plants! Something sure seems different than last summer - could be that the stink bugs just aren't that bad this year, I guess.