"Dang red bug" sure doesn't sound like squash vine borers. They are large dark gray moths that look and fly like large wasps and the larvae of those moths. And they seldom go after cukes because the vines are too narrow for the larvae to burrow into.

Sounds like something else to me.

Dave

They have a fair amount of red on them. I could see describing them as red. Just do a google image search to be sure that's what you saw.

This is just what I killed I hate these guys hope i got them in time.

Here is a link that might be useful: SVB

I have never seen these bugs, and am hesitant to use pesticides. Is there an economical way to control them?

Yes, squash vine borer moths do indeed have red on them. They look exactly like the pictures on the link angie provided.

I am doing battle against this critter with row covers. This method might actually work pretty well if the wind would stop blowing the cover off while I am at work. My zucchini plant has grown H U G E despite having a borer or two currently invading it.

I am now hand picking eggs that I search for every day. I recently put a cover over a pumpkin and another zucchini seedlings after picking eggs off them.

Not sure how effective pesticides would be against this particular pest. Besides, bees pollinate it so they and the insecticide come too close for my comfort level.

I've been trying my hand at hand pollinating. I tell ya! The things I do for my gardens. All I know is, if someone had told me back when I was teen that someday when I was almost old, I'd be hand pollinating plants, I'd have thought them nuts.

Michelle

Sorry angie - that definitely is a SVB. It was just the description of it as a dang red BUG that threw me. ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: Squash Vine Borer discussions, tips, and controls

I have been useing seven dust every day for over a month dusting to lower stems but even that wont stop these nasty bugs .I cant cover mine its way to hot here and I dont know how but Im ganna rid myself of these nasty bugs they wiped out my spring batch and now are starting on my summer cucumbers.Im think of buying some form of netting sence mine are in pots I could use this the bugs are meduim size so fine netting will work as for the bees well i dont know how to get around that.

Hi Angie,

You know your weather better than me but we did have a week of near triple digits. The zucchini under the cover didn't miss a beat. I did keep it well watered though. Now our weather has gone back down to the high 80's.

Row cover is one of those very light ones that allows like 90-95% of light in.

Might be worth a try one season.

Michelle

Wonder why the SVB's resort to attacking cukes? Like Dave, my experience is that they "normally" leave the cukes alone and head for the squash. I vaguely recall maybe? one year having SVB's attack the cukes.

I was wondering what determines when the SVB's leave the cukes alone. Does this happens when they have a choice between squash and cukes... meaning they head for the squash (or the neighbor's squash) and leave the cukes alone. Or is is that certain varieties of cukes are appealing to the bugs. Or maybe there is an abundance of SVB's in some years.. or other? By the way, Angie, what cuke variety did you plant?

Yeah and especially going after cukes that are in containers. These guys much be desperate or someone near by is growing a whole lot of squash and not controlling for them. Got a squash farm nearby?

Shellva's right tho, the lightweight "insect barrier" row covers won't cause you any heat problems but just some netting from Walmart would be cheaper and should work. You'll have to hand pollinate though. (FAQ here on how if you need it).

But Sevin doesn't do much to control them in my experience. Dusting the stems every week with it will get some of the larvae but not the moths.

Good luck.

Dave

Dusting the main summer squash stems has only worked for me when done as a preventative. I only dust the main stem, nothing else, and must re-dust after a hard rain. After the main stem reaches about 18 inches, plus or minus, I quit. The coating of Sevin has kept the moth from laying the eggs on the main stem. Needless to say, this practice would not seemingly work very well on cukes, and/or would be a lot more troublesome, so for this reason I have not tried it..

Since I started growing Costata romanesca zucchini, I haven't had a problem with SVBs. Which is to say, eventually the SVBs get the zucchini, but by that time, we're so sick of zucchini that we're almost grateful to the SVBs.

The one year that I grew (and grew and grew...) winter squash, I grew a Cucurbita moschata variety, which, unlike C. pepo varieties, doesn't have a hollow stem, so no problems with the SVB there. The "zucchini" Zucchetta rampicante (Tromboncino) is also a C. moschata variety.

I've never had a problem with SVBs and cucumbers.