Depends on where you are.Pickle worms are very difficult to control. There is little on the market whether or not you are organic that is available to home gardeners. On the positive side it is a tropical insect. It can only overwinter in South Florida. It migrates north in the summer. The moths are strong flyers. They usually arrive in Northern climates on a definite schedule. Here in middle Georgia they arive around the Fourth of July. Summer squash and cucumber harvest is ending at that time and winter squash rinds are tough enough to repel them. Ditto for cantaloupes. https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W206.pdf

farmerdill, do you live in middle Georgia? I live in the extreme SE GA

I'm in upstate SC and they got here this year about July 15, Last year they got got my tan, hard butternuts, about 1/2 the crop. I was trying for vine ripening with a dry stem, so they were pretty far along. I had far more of them in my cukes this year than squash so maybe that helped. By the way, Farmerdill, your comments last year encouraged me to try them as summer squash. In my opinion moschatas are much better than any yellow squash or zuchinni. Also, my butternuts picked green, cure to a nice tan in my garage. Had one last night and it was delicious. So in my opinion it's not necessary to leave them on the vine until the stem is dry and the rind can't be penetrated by a fingernail, unless maybe you are saving seeds.

I spray the fruit with spinosad on the outside until they get hard and if a worm still gets in dunk the squash in water and it will back out. Then just cut around the hole when we harvest it. For my cushaw, I sprayed a little BT in the hole and we will see what it is like but there are no soft spots and it is still growing. With the spinosad, I do not care what they say - don't get it on any flowers, even at night because it will kill bees the next day.

I have lost quite a few moschatas this year, and many cucumbers, but I have a new solution for the moschatas, ladies knee high hose! If I can find the squash before the pickle worms, I slip it over them. Waiting to see if it prevents them from getting in. .89$ per pair!

Tell you what they have been BRUTAL.......next year we are going to cover at night ..... They even got into my cushaws and I am not sure a 20# cushaw could sport the panty hose. Took out two watermelons as well :( :(.

I agree with jocoyn, far worse this year than previous years. Found a butternut yesterday that had migrated over in the sweet potatoes and was heavily covered by leaves and well hidden and it had several.

I will be using surround next year for my tomatoes and will try this on the squash as well. The stink bugs and Leaf footed bugs are pretty bad here, although this is my first summer and I was dealing with tons of weeds as well.

Tracy, I use Surround on tomato plants (leaves and fruit), all of my cucurbits....the whole plant, including lower stems, green bean foliage if beetles are bad, and more.

I concentrate where I'm spraying, flowers should be avoided.

Oh! I forgot to add that the clay coating is a great squirrel and bird deterrent, too!

I need to look into surround but the pickleworms go for the flowers big time as well as for the growing tips. I do spray my flowers with spinosad but ONLY the outside of those a few days before blooming not the day before..it does seem to help but .............

So I have a new solution for my butternut types, ladies knee high hose. Lot of work,but it's working so far. Slide the hose over the squash, it's very stretchy and allows the fruit to grow normally. $.89 per pair at the grocery here in upstate SC.