@sowtexasgarden: Squash vine borers are a lot easier to deal with before the caterpillar gets inside your plant. Once it bores into the stem, it’s protected and why prevention and checking matters so much. Here’s what I’m doing: 🕸️ Cover young squash and pumpkin plants with insect netting or row cover. The goal is simple: keep the adult moth from reaching the plant and laying eggs. 🌼 Remove the cover once the plants start flowering if you’re relying on bees for pollination. 🥚 Check stems and leaves for eggs. Squash vine borer eggs are tiny and reddish-brown If you find them before they hatch, remove them. 👀 Watch for the adult moth. It flies during the day and looks more like a wasp than the moth most people picture. Seeing adults around your plants is your cue to check closely. 🌱 Rotate where you grow squash and pumpkins if you can. Squash vine borers leave the plant and pupate in the soil, where they can overwinter. There isn’t one magic trick that guarantees you’ll never get squash vine borers. The goal is to catch them before they become a caterpillar protected inside your vine. Next in the series: Can wrapping your squash stem in aluminum foil actually help? #texasgardening #backyardgarden #garden
