The Squash Vine Borer eating the squash, pumpkin, zucchini plants? Get rid of the squash borer with this method. If you have squash borer damage on your squash, pumpkins, zucchini plants, here's how we treat our squash plants.
The moth of the squash vine borer lays it eggs next to the young squash plants, and the larvae then enter the plant by chewing a hole. If you see what looks like orange sawdust and a hole in your plant, you have borers. Not good, but if you are careful and use our borer removal method, you can still grow some great squash!
The moth that lays the vine borer eggs is a weird looking one, it looks like a cross between a moth and a ninja warrior. It has red and gray markings, here are some photos of the moth.
There are other squash vine borer treatments, methods, ways of prevention, we cover a few of them here:
Squash Vine Borer Prevention and Treatment method #1
Squash Vine Borer Treatment #3 using Bt
Don't Give Up!
Despite these squash vines looking dead, you can still get some good squash out of them, so go ahead and try. It also helps to reduce the population of squash moths. From what I've read, Butternut Squash are less susceptible to the borer, and summer squash like zucchini are more susceptible. I remember as a kid seeing our zucchini die every year and the presence of that orange sawdust stuff.
Check out our Squash Recipes Here
How do you control squash vine borers? Any successful treatment you've used? Please let us know below:
Melisa
I just rescued my summer squash by doing this method a few days ago. One question though... how many grubs are usually in one plant stem? Is it just one? I only found one in my summer squash stem, but didn't know if i should continuing slicing up the stem further to find more. I ended up just killing the one and putting a mound of soil over the vine. The plant is already looking much perkier and its been just about 3 days.
MrILoveTheAnts
The adult is a moth that actually mimics a wasp.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/WaspMimic3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/WaspMimic.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Plants/WaspMimic2.jpg
Lauren Schexnider
Thanks! I never knew that I should pack the stem with soil! Great way to try to salvage the plant! By the way, put those grubs near a bluebird house or on a bird feeder - the birds will love them and you'll feel a sense of sweet revenge 🙂 (Or maybe that just speaks to a part of me that should be helped 🙂 )
Sparkomatic
I actually use a hypodermic needle and concentrated Seven liquid. Inject it several places above where I see the frazz.
Erin
I wish I would have watched this video and hour ago! I just pulled out a bunch of SVB, but then tossed the plants because I thought they were trash!
Eric Gunnar Rochow
sorry to hear that Erin, i've done the same thing , we all learn! thx, eric.
Shannon GP
I have spent almost 3 months trying to grow meticulously, healthy butternut, winter, yellow& zucchini squash & just as my babies are maturing & getting beautiful, these nasty boogers take out 2 of my beautiful plants. Its 4:40 a.m. & Im headed out to do "surgery" to remove whatever I can find 🙁 But how do I prevent their return??? Signed, Concerned Shannon
Eric Gunnar Rochow
sorry to hear about your squash vine borers, its real frustrating.
there are some sprays that will help cut down on the number of borers, the key is to keep the moth from laying eggs in the first place and if the borers are already present, you can use a type of BT injected into the vine.
try Gardeners Supply or Gardens Alive for solutions.
Deborah Beck
I am really curious about the squash bore moth trap.Could someone please send me some more info. on that PLEASE?????
Shay
Just went out and did some surgery on my yellow squash plants. Success!! I knew something was wrong when I noticed that orange stuff, but I had no idea what was wrong. Thanks for the great tutorial.
Ashley
Thank you so much for the great video on how to get rid of these borers! I knew something was wrong with my daughter's pumpkin plant but this is the first year we have ever tried to grow any squash in our garden. I went out and used this method this morning. We are crossing our fingers that the plant makes it through the cutting and packing of dirt. We found at least 5 borers of various sizes. I think we will go back out and check higher up in the plant just in case we missed some.
Angela
I've tried for several years to grow pumpkins, and even at different houses, and I've only ever accomplished growing ONE to half of its growth because of these stinking borers! I'm so happy to come across your videos to try to remedy this. Thank you for the new knowledge! I'll grow pumpkins one day yet 🙂
Eric
great to hear Angela! Eric.