The Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory

Asian Soybean Rust

Squash Vine Borer on Squash and Zucchini

The following question was sent to the P&PDL diagnosticians here at Purdue University:

Question: Each summer I plant squash and zucchini in my raised vegetable bed. I get gorgeous plants, but without fail, stem borers kill the plants before I get more than two pickings. I have tried several pesticides both on the plants and in the soil. Nothing works. Can you help me out?

Answer: Squash vine borer is a big problem and tough to control. E-21, Managing Insects in the Home Vegetable Garden (PDF 8.7MB), may provide some answers for you. (Note: PDF files requires the free Adobe Adobe Reader program to view and print.)


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