vine borers and tomato horn worm - Ask Extension
I found squash vine borers on my pumpkin plants. The plants all died. I have removed the plants. I also found a tomato hornworm on my tomatoes. I remo...
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vine borers and tomato horn worm #878718
Asked July 25, 2024, 12:12 PM EDT
I found squash vine borers on my pumpkin plants. The plants all died. I have removed the plants. I also found a tomato hornworm on my tomatoes. I removed it but not before it had eaten a lot of the leaves and some of the tomatoes. The plants were all in raised beds. My question is what do I need to do to prevent this problem next year? Is there something I should treat the soil with? Will these pests survive in the ground over the winter?
Mahoning County Ohio
Expert Response
Good morning and thank you for your question. Unfortunately, it is hard to anticipate and prevent certain pests in gardens. I too have struggled with similar pests. Luckily, the tomato hornworms are quite large and can be handpicked with regular monitoring. https://extension.usu.edu/planthealth/research/tomato-tobacco-hornworms
The squash vine borers will survive the winter in the soil near their host plants. You could try a barrier around the base of the plant and removing suspected stems from the raised beds to reduce populations. Crop rotation might be a good choice if you have multiple raised beds that you can alternate your plantings. There are pesticides that can be used to treat the plants, not the soil, should you need them as a last resort. Please always read the pesticide label prior to making any application.
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/squash-vine-borer-melittia-curcurbitae/#:~:text=Squash%20vine%20borer%20overwinters%20as,Mating%20squash%20vine%20borers.
The squash vine borers will survive the winter in the soil near their host plants. You could try a barrier around the base of the plant and removing suspected stems from the raised beds to reduce populations. Crop rotation might be a good choice if you have multiple raised beds that you can alternate your plantings. There are pesticides that can be used to treat the plants, not the soil, should you need them as a last resort. Please always read the pesticide label prior to making any application.
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/squash-vine-borer-melittia-curcurbitae/#:~:text=Squash%20vine%20borer%20overwinters%20as,Mating%20squash%20vine%20borers.
