Control and Prevention

How to Get Rid of Squash Vine Borers

• If you catch them VERY early, you can manually remove the squash vine borer. Slit the lower stem lengthwise with a fine, sharp knife to remove the larva by hand. Gardeners can make a vertical slit in the stem with a sharp knife and manually remove the larvae. One plant can house several. Then cover the slit stem section with moist soil about the point of injury to promote formation of secondary roots. Also, extra rich soil near the vines helps rerooting.
• Or, if you spot entrance holes and “sawdust,” try inserting a wire and thread through the stem for some distance to kill the inside larvae.
• Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the stalks when the squash vines are small. Reapply after rain. Also, build up the soil around the vines. Or, sprinkle black pepper around the plants as a defense.
• If possible, catch and destroy the moths at twilight or in early morning when they are resting on the upper side of leaf bases.
• There are insecticides, too, but timing is critical; they are effective when applied at the time that eggs are hatching. The biological insecticide B.t. (Dipel) can be injected into the squash stems, however, it is not usually effective because the larvae are protected inside the plant. Many find carbaryl (Sevin) to work. See your local garden store for advice on appropriate chemical controls. 
• Trap the adult orange moths with yellow sticky traps and yellow-colored bowls of soapy water.
• A trap crop of very early-planted Hubbard squash can be used to alleviate pest pressure on other squash.
• Plant extra squash for the pests! They are around for 6 to 8 weeks and can only eat so much (or, so we think!).
• An old folk remedy from The 1963 Old Farmer’s Almanac says that wood ashes were effective against the squash vine borer.

Prevent Squash Vine Borers

• Sometimes the best solution is to start your squash as early as possible. This way you’ll be harvesting before the summer time when vine borers become active. If you plant early, you may need to be prepared to cover your plants in case of frosts.
• Do not plant squash in the same bed two years in a row. Squash vine borers overwinter in cocoons in the soil. Also, clean up ALL debris and clean up your soil in the fall.
• As soon as the squash is harvested, get rid of the vines. Till the soil in the fall and spring to get rid of overwintering pupae.
• Preventative measures include covering the stems with a barrier, such as strips of nylon stockings or aluminum foil, to prevent egg laying. 
• Importing parasitic wasps prior to the egg stage can be helpful as these wasps are the borers’ natural enemy.
• One of the better solutions is to cover crops with floating row covers to prevent egg laying (but only if you are sure there aren’t pupae overwintering in the soil). You can also drape these row covers over frames. This will not only give you a head start over pests but protect your plants from strong heat and frost.
• If you give up on zucchini, which is susceptive to vine borers, try growing a squash that’s more resistant such as Cucuzzi (Lagenaria siceraria), also known variously as the snake gourd; it’s pale green and twists and spirals like a snake.

Learn about the other main squash and zucchini predator: the squash bug.

Do you have any tips for controlling these pests? Let us know below!