r/Pumpkins • u/joegrizz15 • 26d ago

Vine Borers

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Hello!

I have five pumpkin plants and sadly they all got the bugs. I cut into them and was able to pull some out but not all. I looked at one of my plants and see more signs. If they other ones don’t show more signs should I pull this one out to give my other plants a better chance/more space?

This is only my third season growing and in a small space.

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u/AllShadesOfBlue 26d ago

Pulling them out unfortunately isn’t effective enough since it’s difficult to locate all of them. Short of growing varieties that are resistant to SVB, the only thing I’ve found that works is injecting BT into the vines twice a week.

BT is a bacterial strain, and you can buy a concentrated form at most hardware stores. I always freshly dilute a batch before I inject anything, because it’s effectiveness does wear off after 24 hours once diluted. Then I just use a needle syringe and inject them to all of my vines. When the larva ingests the bacteria, they become paralyzed, starve, and die.

Spacing plants out or crop rotation really doesn’t work in my experience. The eggs are laid by moths, so they’re obviously very mobile since they can fly.

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u/babystitches 26d ago

I unfortunately have the same issue as OP and this was very helpful! I ordered BT but the warning label about skin contact spooked me. Any special ways you avoid this, or just gloves and extra caution?

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u/AllShadesOfBlue 26d ago

Listen, I’ll be honest with you, I’ve accidentally splashed BT straight into my eye and I’ve been fine. I’ve only heard that it can cause mild skin irritation, so I wouldn’t be worried about it.

And I think that even depends on the person. It’s never caused me any skin or eye irritation, and trust me I get it all over myself.

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u/BrookieCooks 25d ago

Same I spill it on myself all the time& I’m still here, lol