From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Wichita, KS

When I lived in California, I never ran into pests. Now I live in Kansas.

This morning I discovered that there was a tiny worm in the stem of one of my vine's leaves I found a small worm today and several tiny, oval shaped beetles with shiny brown shells. What are those? They layed eggs in the base of the stem.

How do I get rid of these pests! They don't appear to be in the main vine, only in the leaf stems.

I am growing a whittier 1458 and should be self pollinating tomorrow or the next day about 12 feet out on the main. I have never had such good results with a plant and am worried I might loose the vine.

Please advise quickly!

Thanks

Mr Sprout

6/28/2006 8:17:12 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

pictures we need pictures to ID.

6/28/2006 9:01:10 AM

Indiana

At least get some seven on the plant it will kill most of your bugs and not hurt the plant. then get pictures of the dead bugs

6/28/2006 9:43:25 AM

Long Island,New York

The tiny worm is likely a squash vine borer larvae.....

6/28/2006 9:45:01 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Toby,

I just sent you a bunch of pictures...I really hope you have highspeed internet. If not....I'm sorry.

6/28/2006 10:20:54 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

look for holes and frass...and nemotode injection kit!

6/28/2006 11:40:01 AM

Montoursville, PA

Frass..........looks like pumpkin sawdust. I second the immediate application of insecticide.

6/28/2006 4:21:09 PM

Wichita, KS

Yes, it looks like pumpkin sawdust. I cut off all the leaves with holes and frass and yellowing. I cannot find any holes on the 1458 whittier main vine, but I have a couple at the basal crown of the 689.5 sandercock... ugh. Both of them have shown signs of stress today.

The tiny shiny brown beetles... gone. can't find them any more.

Where in the world do I get a nematode injection kit?

And, is frass the word you use for svb larval poo?

-T

6/28/2006 5:24:18 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Toby,

That picture you emailed me certainly was a SVB. I've drenched Merit right out of a watering can with a smidgen of Nitrogen (to enhance uptake) & killed borers that were the same size. It isn't supposed to work. But it did. I covered the leaves, vines, rooted nodes & basal crown (stump <sic>) with the Merit/fertilizer combo. Two days later the borers were dead. The vines were still fairly dysfunctional, but I proved to myself it would work & could be used to save a plant that was caught early enough.

If that borer was in a secondary vine you'll survive. If that was the main then that plants season is fast coming to a close.

Most folks use residual contact insecticides (like Bifenthrin, Sevin or Lambda-cyhalothrin) as soon as the adult SVBorers are expected to appear. Many also bury their vines to keep them inaccessible to the adult female vine wreckers. However the soil you're in looked pretty heavy in the picture so until it is amended some more vine burying might not be a great idea.

Some folks do as Dwaine suggested using spent medical syringes. I don't know if syringes are available specifically for this gardening purpose.

Other used to use pins & paper clips to jab the borer to death but this is a labor intensive & vine damaging process even if all the borers are located.

Keep us posted with whatever you decide to do. I hope whatever it is works out OK for you.

6/28/2006 11:54:34 PM

a sharp, thin, long shanked fish hook straightened out can pull them out of a main with minimal damage.

6/29/2006 7:25:11 AM

Wichita, KS

My objective is to have self polinated seeds to pass out (especially for the whittier plant), so if I can get some mature seeds out of the plant before september ends, I will celebrate.

so far, I cannot find any real holes in any of the vines, just in the stems of the leaves, and all of those leaves have been removed. Still, I am going to do the Merit-and-nitrogen-in-a-watercan method to see if I can wipe these things out.

Yes, the soil is heavy, only half a year of conditioning so far. I think I might bury the vines in store bought soil, though. I would also use the syringe method if I had any syringes.

Thanks for the advice! I'll let you know how it goes. I pollinate tomorrow.

-T

6/29/2006 11:22:54 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

If you have problems finding a syringe...go to the cooking section of any big box store where they sell turkey fryers.

6/29/2006 11:32:47 AM

Wichita, KS

Well, its not dead yet. when the sun hit it, the 1458 wilts badly, but if a cloud travels overhead it perks up again. it is being well watered to aid in the uptake of the merit which seems to be helping it perk up. I have found four holes at the basal crown with frass, so I will be off to the store again today to look turkey fryers with injection kits.

What is the best stuff to use with an injection kit?

its 5:20 am and the pumpkin flower hasn't opened yet on either the whittier or the sandercock. maybe I'll be pollinating tomorrow instead.

-T

6/30/2006 6:21:04 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

Can't find the thread on the nematode injection. but might be in Farmer Scott (Armstrong) diary a ways back. He was successful injecting the vine with nematodes.

6/30/2006 11:30:26 AM

Long Island,New York

Ive had success just by syringing malathion into the area of the vine its in.

6/30/2006 4:39:55 PM

Long Island,New York

Thats at the regular mixed rate, not straight concentrate.

6/30/2006 4:40:21 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

That's cool G...seem like BP has come up with a few ways of beating the beast!..I guess we owe the BP guys a great thanks for letting us enjoy this site...! Thanks Guys!

6/30/2006 6:19:50 PM