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Ashland, KY

Folks, last season those @#$&% vine borers really damaged my plants. This year, in addition to traps from Holland’s, I was thinking about injecting the insecticidal bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis right into the plant (stems and stalks). I’ve read a few articles on this, but wondering if I can get additional info here. Thanks in advance! I am also thinking about using Merit 75 as a foliar/root drench, but if I do, I’ll have to figure out a way to not kills the bees. Probably just wrap the flowers somehow (since I will hand-pollinate).
EP

4/16/2012 3:54:00 PM

Sourthern Utah

EP,, i dont have the svb problems others do,, but cuc beetles yes.... i spray,, as fer wrapping the blossoms i use the lil ankle high nylon stockins,, there cheap and allow the blossom the keep stuff out so to hand pollinate.. but thats just my way,,

4/16/2012 4:02:48 PM

Ashland, KY

curtlave, the stockings are a great idea! I'll give them a try. After all, I take my wife's baking sheets, tupperware, measuring cups and spoons, and finger nail files for the sake of the pumpkins, why not her stockings too!

EP

4/16/2012 5:06:46 PM

Hinckley MN

BT is not a contact or systemic insecticide. BT has to be consumed by the insect, and is used against foliage eating bugs. It isn't going to be very effective against vine borers. It shouldn't harm the plant either, unless you accidentially inject pathogens from dirty needles...

I'll use a systemic early in the season, but not after removing the row cover. If you spray pyrethrin insecticide 30 min prior to sunset, it will be effective all night and be "bee safe" by sunrise. Pyrethrins doen't just kill pests but will repell them, too. What worked for me up north, with little insect pressure, a mile from any other gardens, may not be enough somewhere else.

4/16/2012 5:47:34 PM

Ashland, KY

Thanks Ben!

4/16/2012 8:03:53 PM

Omaha, Ne.

last year I had no damage from svb for the first time. Years before I had so many that I could of sold them for bait.
Last year I used Bayer tree & shrub (merit) 2 times.
and alternated spectracide and seven every 4 to 5 days.
O ya I got a svb trap to. It was the highlight of my year to see it fill up with them little @#$&,%@#$&%@,#$&%@#$&%!

4/16/2012 11:11:10 PM

Upa Creek, Mo

Bayer Tree and Shrub didn't work here and I went pretty strong in 2011. It might work up north, but its dosage of Imidacloprid was too diluted. I'd go with the 75 as a drench and pick as many male flowers as possible to not effect bees.

4/16/2012 11:31:39 PM

The bottom of New Jersey

I have injected Bt into squash vines before with pretty good success. Not my giant pumpkins, but other summer and winter squashes. You do need to inject it pretty close to where the borers are to get them, and of course prevention is a much better way to go. Any feeding that they do at all creates a place for rot to set in.

4/17/2012 8:05:00 AM

Omaha, Ne.

Plus I planted marigolds around too. But I think I was the spectracide that did it.
I also got a few running around like a madman with a sprayer and a flyswatter, man their fast!

4/17/2012 8:30:25 AM

Hinckley MN

it will kill individual borers if you inject them directly or inject the stem to coat the inside of the stem which they are eating. it becomes a stem by stem treatment. if I have 1 leaf per square foot, then I have 4500 leafstems in my patch. I'm not injecting 4500 stems, every 7-10 days, for 6-7 weeks to prevent damage. thats why it isn't effective. Injection is too labor intensive as a preventative. also consider you now just walked over every square foot of your patch 5-7 times compacting it.

4/17/2012 8:32:18 AM

Upa Creek, Mo

LOL Darren, been there and done that lookin like a nut chasing stuff out of the patch.

4/17/2012 8:36:08 AM

Ashland, KY

Thanks all for your input! Lot of experience talking. I just bought some Merit to use on the main roots and nodule roots, plus will set out the trap. I'll also play around with injecting the main stem with Bt. I found a paper where they described injecting about 11 ml into only the main stem just where it comes out of the soil; I assume that the Bt fluid filled up the hollow space in the center of the stem and was thus systemically deliverd to the plant, but this is just an assumption. I'll also follow Darren's advice and chase the little @#$&%$ with a swatter!

4/17/2012 1:35:14 PM