Borer Wars

We have planted squash here for more than a decade. Only the first year's crop was undamaged by the squash vine borer. Since then the harvest has gone mostly to the insect. Not one to give up easily, I am still trying to win this one. The first line of defense is this tunnel of insect barrier. The zucchini, yellow summer squash, acorn squash, butternut squash, and the pumpkin seeds were all carefully planted and then covered to ward off attack from the air. The squash were to remain covered until the plants were large. The hail storm put a lot of holes in that plan, but the squash were protected in their tunnel. Not even a single leaf suffered a hail strike.


The freshly uncovered squash plants were weeded and mulched with straw.


So far the squash bed is looking great! Ed has further plans to outwit these nasty insects. He planted golden Hubbard squash, supposedly the borer's favorite, in a different area of the garden. These plants, started much later than the others, are small and tender and we hope irresistible. With any luck these plants will show the leaf wilt that signals the invasion of the larva while the main crop goes to us.