You just gave me a good laugh, rjinga! I think it's worth a try, I mean why not? I'm spending waaay too much time on my knees, on my butt, scraping and digging on svb patrol. It would be kinda fun to play surgeon with a syringe. You'd just have to realize that there could be several critters all working the same stem.

By the way, you may or may not know that there is an injectable product - bt - bacillus thuriengsis - intended for use at the point of larvae entry. I don't know how effective it is.

Happy gardening! Maureen

rjinga,

Are you thinking liposuction...to the extreme? Seems like a reasonable idea to me.

Jim

I have done the injections with BT and it work. If I see any frass or borer holes I would inject a few ml into the hole and a little up the stem a bit. Although poking them and sucking their guts out would feel good I be worried I didn't get them all. I've also had success spraying with BT (to prevent borer from getting inside), but you have to do it once every 3 days else the BT loses its effectivness.

John

How're you going to know where to poke? Last time I sliced a stem open I got MANY worms, then MANY more from the next stem, and so on. The plant still died because you cannot get them all. You cannot always reliably see the entrance hole, plus they travel once they are inside. My plants are covered, and I am also re-planting for a second crop after the moth is gone. Forget syringes.

I'm doing daily inspections and now I"m seeing some little white rice like shaped bugs and also tonight I saw some red and black little bugs with long legs...WHEN DOES THE MADNESS STOP?

I'm crunching red eggs, squishing stink bugs and now these little white rice monsters...I know if they are on my plants they aint on a picnic. Are these the squash bug babies?

Well as far as where to poke, I was thinking I could get down there with a stethoscope or maybe a flashlight? looking for dense areas? I hope I didnt quit cutting too soon...I only saw ONE worm in the main where the chewed up material was (from where it entered)

Hey, I"m also very interested in understanding the "cover material" what do you use? where do you get it? how exactly does it work (besides the obvious by keeping the moth off the plants) is it raised above the plants? and if so do you drape it over stakes or something? Do you cover your whole garden? or just specific plants?

I need to consider this, as I've just gotten all my new yellow squash seedlings ready and they will be ready to plant soon.

Will the cover work any better in a raised bed?

I use a safety pin. I just stab the pin through the affected area a dozen or so times in different places. It doesn't always work, but it often does and it is certainly quick and easy to do.