Zucchini borer
 

I have seen many ideas of dealing with the borer that kills the plant
just as it starts to come on well. The one I'm interested in trying is
putting netting over the plant during the time the moth is laying its
eggs. That sounds like the easiest and maybe the most efficient
technique. If anyone has tried this, when did you put it on and how
well did it work? What kind of netting did you use and where can it be
found? All ideas are welcome.

Zucchini borer
 

bird netting, of course, will not work. You need a floating row cover,
weighed down well. What I do is use the row cover through june, and I
put a peony ring around the plant so as to support the row cover and
let the plant develop vertically. The borers still get the plant, but
by then it is usually late august and the garden is full of other
vegetables. I guess I protect them against the first generation but not
the second.

Zucchini borer
 

Thanks for the advise. I have another question though as I've been
pondering the problem. How do the blossoms get pollinated when they
are covered by the netting? Do the borers attack early in the season
like late May through June?

Zucchini borer
 

Of course when blossoms come you take out the row cover, unless you
want to do it by hand with a paintbrush. I have room in the garden and
I don't like fussing about plants in the summer, if one plant dies I
will remove it and plant kale in its place for the fall. Also, the
first blossoms are all male and go in omelettes (they really are the
most exquisite of all vegetables), so you can leave the cover until you
see the first female blossom (about two weeks after first bloom).

In Michigan the borers attack in waves, with the first wave in June.
All in all I am happy with the arrangement, typically out of four
plants I lose 2-3 in August, with the borer probably getting into the
plant in july, and they give me 15-20 zucchini each before dying. 1-2
get spared and I have a few zucchini for soup later in the season.

Zucchini borer
 

Thanks for mentioning the flower timing. I didn't know that, and I was
standing outside this morning, scratching my head about a gourd plant
covered with male flowers. I thought he'd just gotten carried away with
the nice warm weather. :)