The Destructive Squash Vine Borer: Rampage in the Squash

This year found me up close and personal to destruction wrought by the Squash Vine Borer. We had experienced squash plant collapse a couple of years ago, and knew about the Borer. This year was different because I got a much improved eye-level view of the damage.

Spaghetti Squash Vine on Tomato Cage

Climbing up and over tomato cages, spaghetti squash vines ran hog wild over the garden. Instead of seeing plants wilting on the ground, I first spotted the wilting and drying up of vines at eye-level on tomato cages. It's hard to ignore.

Squash Plant Base no Borer Signs

Signs of Borer on Squash Plant Base

Once the destruction became rampant, and there was nothing to be salvaged from the crop, I started a sanitary removal of all squash plants and further witnessed the destructive nature of this pest. This is what I saw:

Gourds drilled with tiny holes.
Frass deposits on the gourds. (Frass is excrement and material excavated from vines.)
Hollowed out and devoured vines  resembling large straw tubes instead of lush, living vines.

I rolled the vines up and placed them in a black plastic bag. Squash bugs and borers ran for cover. I destroyed several in the bag and on the ground. Before sealing the bag, I sprinkled a healthy amount of Sevin powder in the bag to prevent transporting the bugs to the local dump.

Below is an interesting 3 minute video showing the larvae and damage of the Squash Vine Borer. There are several longer YouTube videos on this subject that may be worth watching.

Garden sanitation is so important in controlling these pests. Gardeners love to compost, myself included, but this is not the time. All diseased and pest-carrying plants should be removed from the area. Think about next year's crop. Since both Squash bugs and Squash Vine Borers overwinter in the ground, squash should not be planted in the same area the next year.

Excellent photographs of the Squash Vine Borer can be found at this University of Kentucky site. Further information on squash pests from North Carolina Cooperative Extension can be found here.