Squash Vine Borer has got to be one of the worst pests in the garden.

There are a few ways to fight the squash vine borer as a home gardener, but I have found one to be particularly effective, which is aluminum foil around the bases.

Here I get into what a squash vine borer is and how to use aluminum foil on your squash plants so you can have a great harvest this summer.

Let’s Dive IN…

What is a Squash Vine Borer?

Here is a source for pictures of squash vine borer: Michigan State University Agriculture Extension: Squash Vine Borer

The other name for Squash Vine Borer is Melittia satyriniformis.

It is a moth. And it’s the larva that do the damage on your food crops.

The moth will lay their eggs at the base of you squash or pumpkin and when the eggs hatch the larva eat the base of the stem.

They will often tunnel into the vine itself, which is where they receive their nickname squash vine borer.

Since eggs are so tiny, and squash/pumpkin leaves are so big, it’s hard to notice them before they have already hatched and burrowed into your plant.

Signs of squash vine borer damage are wilted or yellow leaves. Or a dead plant.

But if you look closely to the base of the steam (where you originally planted it) you will see holes or damage. If you cut open the vine you can see the larva.

Usually this means a complete loss of the crop.

You may find that you can salvage some if the squash was allowed to spread on the ground and form roots in other places.

But trellising your squash plants is a very popular method of gardening so this will usually mean a complete loss of the crop.

Squash Vine Borer Protection using Aluminum Foil

Using Aluminum Foil around the Base of your plant:

1. Start you seeds early. It’s best if you have the aluminum foil around it’s bases at the time of planting, so starting your seeds early indoors is recommended.
2. Before planting, grab some aluminum foil and tear it into long, 1-inch-wide strips.
3. Gently wrap around the base of the plant up to the first set of leaves with the aluminum foil strip you created. It’s best to loosely wrap, then scrunch it together so the stem has room to expand.
4. When planting, aim to put half the aluminum foil into the ground. You may add more foil if you need to, make sure the exposed base is covered. You may also prune lower leaves if you want to add more foil.
5. The foil will stay on the plant the whole season.

I give this advice through personal experience.

One year I left all my squash crops unprotected and lost them all except for one zucchini that I planted mid-summer.

It was devastating because I was having one of the best years growing spaghetti squash!

The next summer, knowing this predator lurked in the garden beds, I placed aluminum foil around the bases of each squash and pumpkin plant.

And it saved every single squash and pumpkin I grew. It is now a common practice for me to do.

You can use cheap foil if you wish. The larva cannot penetrate the foil and will eventually die.

That’s It!

This is an easy way to protect yourself against the dreaded squash vine borer.

Just be sure to wrap loosely around the base and scrunch it together so the plant has room to grow without it bursting the foil.

And make sure some of that foil is in the ground along with some above the ground when planting.

Enjoy!

The Cottage Vegetable

Gardening & Preserving for a Practical Kitchen

• Facebook
• YouTube

Coupon Codes, Disclaimers, Disclosures Here

Use coupon code COTTAGEVEG10 for 10% off your purchase site wide at OLLE GARDENS

12-IN 1 Metal Raised bed in Barn Red, featured in my own personal garden