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i was a bit dissappointed to find out that there are two major pests i need to battle. i was thinking the squash bug and squash vine borer were the same critter. live and learn i guess. :shrug: i was sure all of my efforts to kill the squash bugs would help keep my plants from dying next year...hoping i was reducing the population. i see no real way for me to to control the vine borer.
i think i may have even allowed a borer to lay eggs in one of my plants, thinking it was a beneficial wasp type critter. i had the chance to kill the bugger and didn't, lol. grrrrrr...now i have a pumpkin vine that is in really bad shape and two squash and zuke plants that are suffering. i did surgery on the pumpkin, summer squash and zuke plants yesterday and removed some borers. the pumpkins roots are mostly all rotted away, but the zuke and squash may bounce back as they looked healthier. i covered the cut areas of the stem/crown with peat moss topped with dirt and watered them well. i covered 2 feet of the pumpkin vine in the hope that it may develop some roots.
the bummer is that i spent probably 4 hours of valuable gardening time this year plucking squash bug eggs and drowning adults. they don't do near the damage that borers do. i could have been doing other much needed stuff.
i will give the squash/stink bugs this much...they are one of the most resiliant pests i have seen. they tunnel in the ground, breed like rabbits and can fly away if you are not careful when you catch them. on six hills of squash and pumpkin, i have plucked 100-150+ adults and enough eggs to cover 2-3 feet of duct tape.they sure are determined to survive.
i think i may have even allowed a borer to lay eggs in one of my plants, thinking it was a beneficial wasp type critter. i had the chance to kill the bugger and didn't, lol. grrrrrr...now i have a pumpkin vine that is in really bad shape and two squash and zuke plants that are suffering. i did surgery on the pumpkin, summer squash and zuke plants yesterday and removed some borers. the pumpkins roots are mostly all rotted away, but the zuke and squash may bounce back as they looked healthier. i covered the cut areas of the stem/crown with peat moss topped with dirt and watered them well. i covered 2 feet of the pumpkin vine in the hope that it may develop some roots.
the bummer is that i spent probably 4 hours of valuable gardening time this year plucking squash bug eggs and drowning adults. they don't do near the damage that borers do. i could have been doing other much needed stuff.
i will give the squash/stink bugs this much...they are one of the most resiliant pests i have seen. they tunnel in the ground, breed like rabbits and can fly away if you are not careful when you catch them. on six hills of squash and pumpkin, i have plucked 100-150+ adults and enough eggs to cover 2-3 feet of duct tape.they sure are determined to survive.