The eggs are laid on the plant by the adult moth. However, any grubs which grow to maturity will pupate in the soil nearby. Here, unless they are killed by Fall tilling, they winter over as pupae. If you plant squash the next year in the same area, the adults won't have far to go... even if the plants are covered.

If you are unable to kill the young larvae in the plant (there are many threads dedicated to this) it's best to destroy the stems of infected plants before the grubs mature & burrow into the ground.

I have had good luck rotating the squash location(s) each year, then covering the young plants with 8-foot-wide floating row cover. All edges are buried, which keeps out insects & helps the cover withstand strong winds. The cover should stay on as long as possible; until the vines outgrow it, or when blossoming begins. For me, the protection seems to last through the SVB egg laying period. I have only had one plant in the last 2 years become infected after the cover was removed.

Others on this forum have remarked that there are 2 SVB egg-laying cycles in Texas; so Ruthie, you might have your work cut out for you. My suggestion would be to choose squash varieties which root at the nodes, and use floating row cover to protect the young plants from the first cycle. When the cover is removed, bury the stems in several locations, to help them root. Hopefully the will give the plants enough added strength to survive the second hatching on their own.

thanks zeedman that is just the info I wanted.

That's good info. Until last year (which was the first time I planted pumpkins), I had never seen the moth on my property. For several years, I had grown summer squash, with only squashbugs to worry about. However, last year I was inspecting the pumpkin vines, and the moth landed on a leaf right in front of me. It was almost a haunting experience - as I had finally came face to face with the messenger of death to all cucurbits.I tried to catch it, but couldn't. Luckily, no damage was done to the vine - but thanks to this thread, i'll not be planting in that location for next year.

EG

Hey Ruthieg TX; This is why it is a good idea to "disc" a field after freezing weather sets in, to kill the pupae that are in the soil. You could also switch to C.mochata's for a few years to offset the problem.

Hi Ruthieg,

I've been experimenting with organic vine borer control and resistant varieties in my garden. I had really good luck this year for both summer and winter squash.

For summer squash, my best two resistant varieties were Tatume and Trombichino. They worked well together as the tatume produces tons early in the heat of summer and then the trombichino takes off in late summer and the fall (not sure how that would work in Texas). I also liked Mayeras and Gialla Nostrale for somewhat SVB resistant summer squash. All these varieties trellis. I also tried Lemon, Kamo Kamo and Serpent (edible gourd), but I wasn't as happy with those.

For SVB resistant winter squash, my favorites are African Winter squash, Butternut, Choctaw Sweet Potato squash and Futsu black. The African Winter squash is an amazing keeper. I had one that lasted over a year in storage. When it started to get a bad spot, I was going to compost it, but decided to chop it up instead. It was absolutely fantastic - still moist and better tasting than some of this year's squash.

Hope that gives you some ideas for next year,
Bellatrix

I don't think there is a more hated or vile insect than the SVB. We have two cycles here in GA as well. I've always started some indoors so I can plant them out as soon as possible to avoid the first wave and then set another bunch out late when the second cycle is almost done.