Squash Vine Borer

[Chris]

Anyone have any tips for controlling this annoying pest?

[Fargus]

Ripley: I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure. --- Aliens

Outside of that, do they have any relatively harmless natural predators (i.e. ladybugs) that can be legally released and are viable where you live?

[Chris]

Not what I've read. Some wasps will eat the eggs, but once they're inside the vine, nothing gets them (except me with my knife)

http://www.gardeningblog.net/2008/08...sh-vine-borer/


someone needs to invent a lure trap for the adults like what you can get for japanese beetles. Nothing so satisfying as looking in your trap and seeing like 100 dead beetles.

[Sarge47]

Anyone have any tips for controlling this annoying pest?

My wife, an avid gardener, gave me this info when I asked her.
The key is to get there early-on & use one of the bug-powders sold through gardening catalouges. Another method is that when the bug 1st gets in there you take a knife, cut a slit in the stem, locating the bug; remove the offending little varmit, terminate it with "great predjudice", & then duct tape the slit area. My wife confesses she has never tried this, but many others on her gardening web-site swear by it. If the infestation has gone on for too long your only recourse is to remove the plant & burn it. I don't know if this helps or not.

[Fargus]

Not sure exactly where you are located. Do you have a local county, state, or province extension office/department/service? If so, have you contacted them? They usually have a good list of accepted/legal options for eradication of most area pests, both toxic and non-toxic.

A friend of mine was having a problem with some type of infestation eating her garden. She contacted our county's extension department and they placed her in contact with a company that supplies ladybugs (apparently a known predator of whatever was afflicting her plants and a legal natural release in my state). Three days later, she had a bag full of bugs and let them go over her garden. Her problem disappeared within a few weeks (ladybugs are apparently quite vicious). She was given a list of known legal release candidates (predators), suppliers, and the type of infestation (prey) they would help alleviate. She also was given a list of accepted chemical agents/insecticides for various bug issues. Very helpful local/state government resource that is overlooked or unknown by many residents.

[Chris]

ladybugs eat aphids and other soft bodies insects.

[Fargus]

There were other release candidates on her list for a variety of different pests. I only mentioned ladybugs because of my friend's experience. Your local extension office (if one is available) might be able to offer you alternatives to chemicals, or, at the very least, guide you to the least environmentally harmful and efficient way to eradicate your problem. They may even have specific methods for attacking the problem at various life-cycle stages.

[crashdive123]

Chris I believe you were correct when you said once they get into the vines nothing gets them. All of the control methods that I could find were prior to that stage of their development.

[Chris]

Ya, I knew all the common stuff, I was just hoping someone would have a family remedy or something like beer for slugs that'd work.

[crashdive123]

You feed your slugs beer if they work?

[klkak]

I'd work for beer if I could.

[canid]

i just pulled an all-nighter roofing for beer.

[TrappinGal]

Methoxychlor will kill them.