That probably is the SVB grubs or larvae. I have had them invade all parts of my Tahitian squash, stems, vines, stalks that the leaves grow on and yes, even in the fruit it's self. The vine on that one grows probably 15 to 25 foot and will root down in places if you have room to let it sprawl, but I do not so the vine was growing along the top of a 4 foot fence. That is why that statement that they only attack the stems or vines near the ground can be misleading, as you are probably now well aware..

Perhaps you can make out what {{gwi:61113}} look like if you look closely in the bottom of this glass of water sitting on top of the yellow plastic cup. If you mouse over, or move your cursor over the picture a bit and click on the little magnifying glass with the + in it, it will enlarge the picture.
Bill P.

You did the right thing to put the plants in trash bags. At least THOSE larvae cannot burrow into the soil andpupate until next season (for that is what they do once they are gorged and fully grown). You have prevented them from completing their life cycle. Welcome to the bane of your gardening existence.

gonefishin & raisemybeds, thanks for your input. Now my question is: Is there any way to thwart these revolting things? I'm more than willing to grow in containers, swath the plants in netting and hand-pollinate if that's what it will take to get some of my own fresh zucchini. (It's not like I love the stuff, or anything...) Labor-intensive doesn't scare me, and I'm out in my very small garden for at least an hour every day, fussing and looking closely at all my plants. Is there ANY way to defeat these critters?

mgpaquin,

The best thing you can do is plant resistant varieties and try to stay out of the way of their life cycle. Each life cycle has different controls but in the end, there is no stopping them, only learning to live with them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Squash Vine Borer Fact Sheet