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foiling the squash vine borer
I've had trouble in the past and have heard that once infested, the only
solution is to pull out the infected plants. I once thought that the borer was a wasp, but as the following article illustrates, it is not. It is a moth. Anyway, here is the article: http://web.ask.com/redir?bpg=http%3a...3dsqu ash%2bv ine%2bborer%2b%26o%3d0&q=squash+vine+borer+&u=http %3a%2f%2ftm.wc.ask.com%2fr %3ft%3dan%26s%3da%26uid%3d21888fba71888fba7%26sid% 3d161CF36C7AE8B6DE3%26qid% 3dBD90A360A1988747A2A5604F0FA3C23C%26io%3d0%26sv%3 dza5cb0dc7%26ask%3dsquash% 2bvine%2bborer%2b%26uip%3d1888fba7%26en%3dte%26eo% 3d-100%26pt%3dSquash%2bVin e%2bBorer%2band%2bSquash%2bBug%26ac%3d24%26qs%3d0% 26pg%3d1%26u%3dhttp%3a%2f% 2fwww.uky.edu%2fAgriculture%2fEntomology%2fentfact s%2fveg%2fef314.htm&s=a&bu =http%3a%2f%2fwww.uky.edu%2fAgriculture%2fEntomolo gy%2fentfacts%2fveg%2fef31 4.htm "Julia Altshuler" wrote in message ... First year-- Bought zucchini seedlings from garden center. Planted in mound the way you're supposed to. Enjoyed more zucchini than we could eat. Second year-- Proceeded as first. Got 2 zucchini. Whole big beautiful plant died. Heartbroken. Did minimum research. Concluded squash vine borer was culprit. 3rd year-- Proceeded as first. Didn't even get 2 zucchini. All dead before fruit. 4th, 5th year. Gave up. Turned attention to basil and tomatoes. 6th year-- I'm ready to give it another go. Instead of making a mound in the vegetable garden in back, we thought we'd plant in a half whiskey barrel in the front yard. Maybe the borers will have trouble finding the plant if we hide. I'd like to avoid chemicals if I could though I'm willing to use them if the zucchini bread warrants. I've read in The New Victory Garden an idea for foiling the borers-- literally. One puts a mat of aluminum foil around the base of the squash vines. The idea is either to confuse the moth by reflecting a bright light in its eyes or to cook the eggs to an uncomfortable temperature. In any case, has anyone tried this? Does it work? It sounds too good to be true, a simple non-chemical solution to the problem. Then today there's a new development. I ran into a neighbor today, another hobbyist gardener but one with lots more experience than I have. He said that zucchini was a sure thing crop, one that nothing could go wrong with. He said that whatever my troubles were in the past, they weren't squash vine borers because zucchini don't vine. Maybe another sort of borer? In which case, would the foil idea be any good? Help! I'm in New England, zone 5. --Lia |
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