Do your squash plants look wilted in the summer? There could be an invisible enemy larva eating your plant stems from the inside out. And worse yet, typically there is more than one miner inside!

This troubling pest, squash vine borer, seems to hit everyone’s garden in the eastern United States! The borer pest is very hard to control since targeting the egg-laying clearwing moth is like throwing darts in the night. Honestly, it is best to plant squash plants at different time intervals to increase your chance of missing the egg-laying time. Early transplant squash can beat out the egg layers and then late season squash can miss them.

Plan your garden accordingly this year, and you may be able to avoid most of the vine borer problems!

HGIC Website: Squash Vine Borers

Joyce Browning Horticulturist, Master Gardener Coordinator Video credit: Bethany Evans Longwood Gardens Professional Gardener Program Alumni; CPH