Photo by Thomas Koffel on iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · specimen identified as Eichlinia cucurbitae
PestActive Jun–Aug
Squash vine borer
Melittia cucurbitae
- When
- Jun–Aug — June, July, August. Earlier in the south, later in the north.
- Where to look
- Inside the stem at the base of a squash plant.
- How to know it
- The adult is a day-flying orange-and-black moth that looks like a wasp. The damage is sudden wilting plus sawdust-like frass at the stem base.
- What it does — and what to do
- The reason a healthy zucchini collapses overnight in July. Bury a couple of leaf nodes so the vine roots at several points, and plant a second succession in early July.
Found in these regions
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