Jack1000 wrote:
I had a problem with squash borers last year. I was wondering if anybody knows
what the egg looks like when it gets laid on the plant stem.
I found a few hard, very small brownish circular things that I thought might
be the eggs. There was one on a stalk attached facing the ground, maybe four on
every other plant.
I hate these pests. They take a wonderful thriving plant and bring it to its
knees.
So far the only way I found to fight them was to find the holes they make on
the bottom of the stalk and stick thin a wire in and try to skewer the little
black faced larvas.
If I can get the eggs off the plant before it is too late that would save a lot
of back breaking work.

In my experience there will be a small grouping of off white eggs about
the size of pin head on the underside of the squash stem. I've not found
any squash that will totally withstand the borers but Zuchetta
Rampicante Trombocino, a long zucchini with a bulb on the end, does
better than most. Available from Pine Tree Seeds, with whom I have no
connection other than as a customer. I am also growing Tatume, a Mexican
squash that gets about as big as a baseball when it is eating size but
will get much bigger and seedier if left to grow, it has some medium
resistance to borers.

Another alternative is beneficial nematodes, the nematode preys on the
larvae (grubs) of most beetles including those of the squash borer.
Won't help much this year but they will deplete those in the ground.
Also kills the grubs of the June beetle (called June bugs around here)
and other grubs that feed on grass roots before turning into beetles.
You can also inject Bt into the holes where the borers are or just slit
the vine there and kill them, then heap dirt over the slit and the
squash will root there again. HTH

Georg