Try rolling tin foil out under your plants sort of like a mulch. It will keep the moths away.

Try surgery to remove the borers, injecting Bt to kill them inside the stems and leaves, and regularly burying any damages parts of the stem in compost to encourage the growth of new roots.

I've kept my squash going through 2 waves of borers and only lost one plant (though I should disclose that its time to take out the pattypans because the mildew seems to have stopped production -- I planted new hills two weeks ago anyway).

OK, I attempted 4 "surgeries" today. I have to say I got a great deal of pleasure from killing those things.... and I usually don't kill anything I'm not going to eat, haha.

We'll see how it goes, I had to cut out a good part of the plant in order to get 'em out.

If you kept your slits lengthwise along the stem they've got a good chance of recovering. I only lost one plant out of 6 hills.

Don't forget to mound up a nice pile of good compost around the damaged stems.

After not growing squash/zuchs for the past 3 years, I tried again this year. Waited an extra month or so before seeding (directly), which got most of the plants thru the first cycle (we seem to get 3-4 cycles per year). Just had my 2nd surgery session. Started with 10 plants total, have only lost 2. And as mentioned above, cut lengthwise, bury the cut, and water in. I talked to "my farmer" (I do a CSA) and asked him how he deals with SVB...says he plants a new stand every 2-3 weeks over 2 months - usually one group will miss a cycle and turn out fine. He also says that the SVB's don't attack the 'zephyr' variety nearly as much as crooknecks, which is why that's the only variety he grows...and it's TASTY!

A gardening habit I learned from my Dad that is especially applicable to squash in borer areas is to always plant at least 10% more than you need. For squash in borer areas 50% more might be an even better idea. :-)

"Don't forget to mound up a nice pile of good compost around the damaged stems."

What is the purpose of doing this ? Are you trying to support the plant ? Cover the slit with dirt so nothing else can get in there ? Other ? The reason I ask is, I *think* I noticed this morning that I may have the yellow stuff coming out of a spot on my plant. But I would have to cut too far up the plant to be able to mound the dirt up there. My squash plant is staked, however, and the stem is fully supported.

Is the little worm usually right where the yellow stuff is coming out or may I have to cut a long slit as I go searching for it ? Where can I get BT and how much does it cost ? Is it necessary to do both (surgery and BT) or is it an either/or situation ?

Last question ... what happens if I don't do anything ? Just let the plant keep going as long as it can on its own until it gives out ? It is super healthy right now. Do I run any additional risks if I do this ?

The worm is usually further up the vine. Sometimes you can't really see it and have to stab the sharp knife in several spots and hope to kill it.

The purpose of mounding compost over the damaged area is to let the plant sprout new roots above the damage in case the weakened stem is severed.

If you do nothing you will probably lose the plant. Borers do a tremendous amount of damage and frequently weaken the stem to the point of snapping. But now and then an exceptionally vigorous squash will survive.

I think the Bt cost about $10, but it's a concentrate and lasts a long time. I used a razor blade for the surgery and then tried to gently pry the area open and then slid them out with a wooden skewer. (UGH). But some of the areas were so bad that they had split open and there was no need to cut them.

The damage the borer does prevents water uptake through the damaged stem. If there is too much damage before you get the little bugger out of there, then you lose the plant because it can't get water to the plant from the roots. So if you carefully slit lengthwise up the stem and gently pry it apart and remove the little white grub, then you can minimize the damage. Burying the stem both prevents the stem from drying out further and carries the hope that new roots may form above the damage.
This is part of the reason why Vining types of squash are better able to handle SVB attack. They tend to put down roots along the trailing vine, so if the plant can't get water from the main roots, those trailing vine roots can sustain the plant.
For me 6 out of 8 plants were attacked. My vining butternuts escaped and of the 6 attacked, I was able to save 4 of them by removing the critters. It probably would have been 5, but the stem of one of my acorns was hidden by some bush beans and I didn't see the damage until it was too late. Score one for the bugs. On another, though, I caught the damage even though it was on the underside of the vine and not visible from above. Those bugs are TRICKY! Score one for me. Ha!

Best of luck!
Susan

Those little buggers got us too! I still have one that "needs surgery"! I feel bad for my kids cause these were the first seeds they planted and all of their pumpkins died...they are 3. DS kept saying, "the plants are down...the bugs killed em!"
I'll take any tips I can get to prevent these next time!
Out of 3 Dill's AG pumpkin plants only one of them was possibly salvagable. I did surgery, piled it up with compost, now all I can do is hope it makes it!
I have already planted second rounds of all my other squash plants just in case, but they don't seem to be affected so far. Hope they don't.
Good luck, hope your plants make it!

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I've had very good success starting my cut about an 1-1.5" above where I find the frass and cutting back to the entry hole (I usually check the plants every day so they don't get a good head start)...usually find the larvae on my downslice. Sometimes you can see the stem beginning to yellow and it may look watery...that's where he's already done damage so he'll be a little farther up. I use a small pockeknife and try to poke/grab them with the point from behind then pull them down to the cut (thus less cutting). Also, if you twist the stem after cutting, then bend it slightly, the cut will open up pretty wide. One last thing (alluded to above)...I always WAY overplant the seeds to increase my odds. I may plant 15-16 seeds per hill...thin once, then let the rest go. The SVB will almost always get one or two and with diligent patrolling, I'll come out on the good side with a load of squash.