Anyway, I learned of a new garden pest called the squash vine borer. They are black and red moths (although I think they look more like a strange type of wasp) that bore holes at the base of your squash plants and lay eggs. The larvae tunnel and eat the inside of the stalk until it dies. They got every single one of mine this year. One by one they started wilting and dying. Heartbreaking stuff.
Next year I will be ready for the attack, and prevention is the key. Although they go after all types of vines they tend to stick with squash and zucchini. There are a few things you can do to prevent the borers from getting to your plants in the first place. You can cover your plants in the spring with some very fine netting so the moth cant get to the plant. You can also try placing a yellow bowl of soapy water next to the plant, the moths are attracted by the yellow and it can keep them from getting to the vine. There are also some resistant varieties of squash you can grow which would probably be the best option.
If the borer has already laid its eggs in your vine, the only thing you can do is try to cut it out with a sharp knife. They lay the eggs at the very base of the plant, so look there. You can tell the larvae is present by looking at the base of the vine, it will produce "frass" that looks like this:
After you remove the larvae make sure you pack the stem with dirt. The plant won't always make it if it comes to this so it is best to try and prevent them from getting there in the first place. Another option is to plant your squash super early so they are really strong when the vine borers are laying their eggs, this way they have a better shot of making it.
Luckily, the rest of our garden is thriving, we have gotten a ton of produce this year. Also, I planted pumpkins in the place of the squash so hopefully I will get enough pumpkins to make up for all of the squash we lost!
