Comments on: Nasty Cutworms- Squash Vine Borer

By: Maria

Maria — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:08:17 +0000

I hope it works for you. Luckily it won’t hurt!!!

The zucchini plant is actually still alive–we got rain last night which cooled things down 20 degrees (to 72, the coolest it has been in probably 2 weeks.) Unfortunately we’re scheduled to be 92 today and 99 tomorrow so unless those worms stop eating really soon…

By: Trina

Trina — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:53:04 +0000

Thanks for the tip. I’ll try to get out this afternoon and see if this hardware store across the street has BT.

By: Maria

Maria — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:39:43 +0000

That’s a different kind of worm–and fairly easy to kill, I think. Get some BT worm killer. Spray the whole plant–it kills only worms, nothing else. It’s very environmentally friendly. I use it for tomato hornworms (and that is one ugly worm.) I think the worm giving you problems is probably a little brown one and it comes out at night. You can take a flashlight and look, but it’s easier to just spray the plants. They may get a couple more of the tomatoes, but BT worm killer should stop them.

If you have it, you could also surround the base of the tomato plants with a row of copper (like cut up a copper scratch pad). A lot of insects don’t like copper and the sharp edges of the copper cut some insects and kill them (they dehydrate).

It’s a battle to keep these plants going, that is for sure. The zucchini will likely succumb by the end of the day. The inner part of the plant started wilting last night, but I couldn’t find the entry hole in the main stem. I found it finally this afternoon–along with clearing ANOTHER 10 eggs off the stupid dying plant!!!! I squirted BT worm killer into the stalk, but I think this one is a gonner. I’m just hoping that as the worm eats all day, it gets a mouthful or six of the worm killer so it never makes it out of the plant to moth stage.

I’ll know by morning if the plant can make it. About half of it is severely wilted so I’m guessing I got the last of the zucchini out of it. I had a decent year considering–2 or 3 months of production.

By: Trina

Trina — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:08:33 +0000

I feel your pain, Maria. Only it’s tomato-flavored. I’ve picked three tomatoes so far, and every single one of them have had some kind of worm hole in it.

I’ve checked the entire plant thoroughly-no sign of worms, insects, whatever, and the overall plant looks very healthy.

Very frustrating.

I had to buy tomatoes this morning from Wal Mart. That’s just not right.

By: Maria

Maria — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:05:03 +0000

Congrats–I know you’ve been looking forward to getting married and settled! Yeah, AZ is drier so you actually have less bugs. There will be some problems and maybe you’ll have to worry about birds now and then, but my parents in NM don’t have nearly the problems that I do (they don’t have the moths for one.) NM gets decent freezes and cold so a lot of the bugs do die off. Texas can have times where we barely freeze once or twice.

This year has been beastly hot and very early this year. I’m watering out the ying-yang–as if I lived in Az.

On the bright side, the zucchini plant hasn’t died yet! I’m trying to get part of the main stalk to root (they kind of fall over and wind up and down). With another spot rooted, the thing should be good to go for a while yet!

By: Patrick-FBS

Patrick-FBS — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:45:22 +0000

Man, I sure it is not as hard here in Arizona! I know we have some things to worry about, insects wise, but I am looking forward to trying to defend out plants!

Only a little over four months to go and I (Well, we. That is when Ashley and I are getting married) will have my(our) house so we can have our own garden! We are so excited!!!