Most of the squash is growing well, with buds just starting to form. But a few of the plants look badly wilted. Each shares a hill with one or more plants that are not wilted, so I'm guessing it's not a watering issue--although I suppose it's possible the wilted plants are not as firmly rooted in deeper soil as the others. My hills are made up of pitiful dirt ("dust and sand" brought in by the excavator when we filled in our pool) mixed with rotted horse manure and purchased garden soil. I've never dealt with this mix before.

Or . . . could the wilt be due to insect damage? I don't see any problem other than the wilt.

Thanks!

Dave

A fourth plant appears to be affected, but the stem at the base of the plant is so thick and short that I didn't want to cut further after the first cut, which yielded nothing. Instead, I cut off two badly affected leaf stems. Instead of white borers, I found several dark brown (or dark red) millipede-type critters inside the stems. I wonder if they're a side effect of the squash borer, or a separate problem. Any idea?

I covered all the slits with soil and am hoping for the best.