Susan has worms in the fruit of her squash.
Since I’ve never had that situation in my 43 years of gardening I had to do some searching for what the worms were. From what I read pickleworms seem to be the culprits.
Here’s what Susan wrote in her first comment about her situation on this post.
“I accidentally cut through a main stem on my zucchini and later noticed several baby fruit “melting”. A small yellow squash had holes in it and again I realized that worms had attacked it. I brought it in, submerged it in water and pulled a few worms out individually. I figured my wonderfully productive zucchini was a lost cause and that’s when I wrote you about how to dispose of it. I was quite surprised to later find a very oversized zucchini in the garden. It did have some holes in it and I treated it the same way as the yellow squash.”
Then Susan asked
“How do you get rid of the squash bugs or worms in these plants while they’re still in the ground and secondly, what is the safest way to dispose of these squash plants when it’s time to remove them?”
Squash bugs I wrote about at length in several posts.
I’ll link to those at the end. They’ll answer Susan’s questions on squash bugs.
A Possible Strategy
I’ve formulated a possible strategy for Susan to consider using to get rid of the worms in the garden. That information will follow.
Disposing of the Plants When Removing From the Garden
I’d burn the residue.
I’ve read of folks sealing them in a plastic bag to supposedly suffocate any remaining eggs. Not sure that works unless you want to keep the bag around until late next season to make sure.
Forming a Strategy to minimize damage from Pickleworms
Things I chose for a strategy that Susan may want to use are in keeping with good organic principles.
Know the Life Cycle
First become very familiar with the life cycle of the pickleworm. (Know your enemy.) The more she knows the more successful she’ll be.
Cover the Plants at Night
I would choose to cover the plants at night with either tulle fabric or row cover cloth. Night is when the adult moth usually visits the garden to lay her eggs on the plant.
Anchor the edges securely so the moths can’t get in.
The plants must be uncovered in the day to allow bees to pollinate the flowers.
Timing is Important
Find out when they’re expected to show up in your area.
I would suggest calling your local extension office and see if they know when pickleworms usually appear in your area. (Sometimes they don’t know and will guess or look up a general answer. That’s not what you want.)
Time of appearance can vary according to region. The more you can pinpoint their time of arrival the easier it will be.
Know what to look for during the Life Cycle
Eggs are tiny and initially white, turning yellow within 24 hours. (That’s something you can look for when inspecting the plants each day. They’re very small but when they turn yellow you might see them.)
Eggs hatch in 3 or 4 days into larvae that is yelowish-white with a brownish head and rows of dark spots. That’s when they feed on the plants and the fruit. There’s a good chance you’ll see them on the plant.
The larval (feeding) stage lasts up to 3 weeks. This will be on the plant or inside the fruit.
Then the larvae pupates to transform into an adult. That takes 8 to 10 days.
Depending on conditions the life cycle can range from 22 to 55 days. If conditions are right there is the potential for 4 generations in warm areas
Another Thing to Consider As Part of the Strategy
Spray Bacillus thuringiensis (BTK) (organic and non-toxic to humans) to kill the larvae. Once they enter the fruit – it’s too late.
One source said to spray when the first flower buds are formed. That is when the worms are most susceptible to the toxin.
You can read more about Btk on the site Arbico Organic here (https://www.arbico-organics.com/category/bacillus-thuringiensis-kurstaki-products) You can also call them.
I found information regarding the use of nematodes.
They could be excellent for pupa in the soil.
But there was confusion about the name of the specific nematode. If you could be certain which nematode would work you could incorporate that into your strategy.
Encourage Beneficial Insects
You may already be doing this.
Parasitoid wasps, Lady Bugs and Praying Mantis can help regulate the pickleworms.
Try to have as many blooming herbs in your garden as possible to feed the beneficials. They won’t come if there is no food. Other bloomers are ok too, but beneficials especially love blooming herbs..
In addition there is a predatory mite (Phytoseiulus persimilis) that feeds on pickleworm eggs and larvae.
You could ask the folks at Arbico about those as well.
In Susan’s Second Comment she asked
How do you destroy the worms before removing the plant—— ?
By putting a strategy into play incorporating my various suggestions should either get rid of the worms or at the very least minimize their damage.
Other Question Already Addressed
Her other question on how to destroy the plant once removed, I’ve already addressed at the beginning. I’d burn it.
Final Thoughts
The points in my Suggested Strategy should get Susan off to a good start next year.
The main thing in any undertaking to get an out of control pest under control is to persevere and not give up.
We learn by doing. And when we see ourselves making progress it gets a lot easier and a LOT more encouraging.
If any of you have experience with pickleworms, please add your input in the comment area. That would be greatly appreciated.
One more thing — I think most folks after the first few fruits with worms in them would have given up growing squash. The fact that Susan didn’t will make her victory even sweeter.
___________
Links to posts on Squash bugs :
shttps://tendingmygarden.com/squash-bugs-tactics-for-winning-the-war/
shttps://tendingmygarden.com/squash-bugs-end-of-the-season-strategy/
shttps://tendingmygarden.com/squash-bugs-it-aint-over-til-its-over/
shttps://tendingmygarden.com/how-do-you-get-rid-of-the-squash-bug-eggs-you-find/
All content including photos is copyright by TendingMyGarden.com. All Rights Reserved.
Dear Theresa,
Thanks again for your advice and good cheer! I’m afraid I’m totally off the subject but I do want to tell you about my garden.
This morning I finally paid some attention to my tomatoes, pruning the extra greenery off so they’ll ripen up before frost. I planted them in last year’s green bean bed with an inch or two of half composted pig manure (the pigs had been bedded with wood shavings and straw). I use black biodegradable plastic to cover the ground for tomatoes, I need the extra heat here in zone 3b. Anyway, I got busy with other things and didn’t touch them till they started ripening a week ago. And now, the crop I found! There are so many 3-5 inch brandywines! They are actually piled on top of each other. I’m so pleased! I’ll make soup and can the extras for quick meals in winter.
Another joy is the carrot bed. In a 3.5 ft wide bed I planted radishes and carrots, with a row of peas (on a fence) running down the middle. I added a light straw cover, and watered that bed as needed until it sprouted. And then we eat each thing in turn, which makes room for the others to grow! Last year I sprinkled in some cover crops at the end when the carrots began to be scarce.
Another thing for which you gave me courage: a wicked looking bee I’d never noticed before built a paper nest in my greenhouse (it’s planted with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, herbs and volunteer flowers) and I found we can co-exist just fine.
More firsts happened this year: I have those big black and yellow spiders that like to spin webs in green beans and tomatoes in the garden. I think maybe they eat— some pest.
I was picking rhubarb and a garter snake bit me when I reached under a leaf. (I grew up where snakes are poisonous, so having garters in the garden just sounds like a good ecosystem to me).
I planted cabbage, onions, etc in clear plastic containers that vegetables are sold in, burying them in the greenhouse soil as soon as the top two inches thawed. The snow was two feet deep outside. They came up nicely, a month later. The timing was right for putting them out in the garden and I’m pleased to know I can do it again and leave the timing to nature.
Have a good day!
Loree in New Brunswick, Canada
What a wonderful garden report Loree! Thank you!
I use to have lots of those wonderful black and yellow spiders in my garden.
I no longer have them and I’m sure that’s due to chem trails and other spraying
of fields. And my lady bugs that I had droves of have all but disappeared. Hopefully
they’ll all make a come back one of these days.
Thanks for the great garden report. I’m so pleased for you. You’ve got some great
stuff going on. Keep up the good work.
Theresa
Hiya Theresa!
I’ve never had pickleworms in my squash (so far… knock on wood); however, there have been little yellow, creepy things on the underside of leaves when I check for squash bug eggs, which I never hesitate to destroy. The eggs and the yellow creepy things!
I can attest to perseverance leading to success with another pest tho. Had a horrible problem with snails. Things just disappeared from my garden, like “where did all my green bean babies go?” or “what the heck happened to my Marigolds?” (total snail magnet).
So flashlight in hand I went out into the garden after sunset and man!! there were thousands of snails and slugs everywhere!!! Went back in the house, got a coffee can and filled it halfway with hot soapy water, went back out and started picking and dropping into said can. Let me tell ya, I learned the hard way that you have to wear a glove on your picking hand. It’s gross! And creepy!! And did I mention gross??
However, after going out every night for a week and spending well over an hour each time (one night was out there for 3 hours), there were almost no snails or slugs left. After that first week, I’d go out and check every few days and pick any I found, which soon became negligible.
The following year??? Did it all again, earlier in the season, where I could see my breath the later it got to be. (Even got a headlamp. Do I know how to have a good time or what?) That year most of what I found were smaller, just as numerous, but very few large ones.
The 3rd year??? Nothing to speak of and I left most that were there to the mercy of beetles and lizards who had moved into my garden.
This is the 4th year, and I occasionally see a snail or a slug after a rain, (which may get squashed right away, or left for my helpers, depending on my mood I guess) but it’s no longer the problem it was and is easily manageable.
So yes, there is a LOT to be said for perseverance!!
Oh, and in case anyone’s wondering, yes, I use a thick layer of mulch all season long, mulch with a megaton of leaves in the fall and my snail problem has been contained even with all that mulch.
Take care and God bless,
Harold
That’s exactly how it’s done Harold. Great job!
That’s what I did years ago when we had gigantic 3 inch slugs all over the garden.
And by persevering the results are great.
I told basically the same story (shorter version) in this post https://tendingmygarden.com/slugs-you-can-control-them/
And when we lived in the old farm house – that is exactly how we got rid of the thousands of crickets that infested it.
Flyswaters were our weapons. We never let up. And when we left there we only had an occasional cricket from time to time.
Thanks for posting this great recounting of how it’s done!
Theresa
Hii Theresa!
Harold’s post above made me laugh when he said, “Do I know how to have a good time or what?”
Thanks for your post about how to get rid of pickleworms and the squash plants. We have now dug up both plants and disposed of them. In the process of removing the large zucchini plant my husband found a long green pepper plant that I had inadverdently dropped so, Yayy!
I hope to continue to findways to get rid of the abundant crabgrass that has grown up in and around my vegetables and strawberries. I only recently realized that the area between the back yard and the garden has a lot of crabgrass in it and we may have unknowingly contributed to the problem by using some cut grass as mulch. No more of that from now on!
I WISH I could find some decent straw without seeds but I’ve seldom been able to. I have used pine straw mostly and guess I’ll have to stay with it though when pulling weeds, the pronged pinestraw sometimes comes up with it.
We don’t till the garden but just loosen it with a fork and dig a bit with foot shovels. Due to its neglect from last year, I have a LOT of various weeds that I’m constantly pulling along with vines and this has been hard on my back. I’ll be cutting them instead as close to the ground as possible and then covering them with cardboard and dirt (if I can find some easily and cheaply). I hope thisw will help hold down the weeds. I’ve also been thinking of getting some kind of sheeting to place around the bed to prevent weeds from creeping in. I know crabgrass can still come in under the soil so any ideas for dealing with and viney growth are welcome.
I appreciate your posts and the posts from other readers so much!
Thanks for all you do for us gardeners and may God continue to bless you,
Susan
Hi Susan,
Sorry to be so long in my reply to your concerns:
Regarding using cut grass as mulch:
If you can cut the grass before it sets seed you’ll be fine.
Regarding pine straw (a/k/a pine tags or pine needles):
It’s some of the best mulch you can use.
When Bill was alive he would gather pine tags from places he had permission and bring a truck load home for use in the garden. I sure miss having it!
Regarding your comment: “I know crabgrass can still come in under the soil so any ideas for dealing with and viny growth are welcome.”
Once soil is cleared from crab grass and other weeds — it’s pretty easy to keep it free from weeds – if you’re able to give it a few minutes of attention every week. One or even a few stand alone pieces of crab grass are pretty easy to remove. A bit more difficult when it takes over.
No silver bullet unfortunately. Keeping current is what makes it ultra easy. (And I understand that life get in the way of that sometimes!)
Hope this reply will help Susan.
Theresa