What's eating my butternut squash?

Butternut squash is most threatened by squash vine borers and cucumber beetles. Aphids, squash bugs, and slugs also attack plants and fruit. In gardens with deer or rabbits, young transplants are at risk. Row covers early in the season provide the best broad-spectrum defense.

Sudden wilting of a single stem; sawdust-like frass at the base; hollow tunnels inside the main vine Wrap stem bases in foil to deter egg-laying; slit infested stems, remove larvae, and mound soil over the wound; use row covers until flowering

Ragged holes in leaves and flowers; scarred fruit skin; transmits bacterial wilt, causing rapid plant collapse Use yellow sticky traps; apply kaolin clay; hand-pick adults; plant trap crops of Blue Hubbard squash nearby

Yellow then brown stippling on leaves; leaves wilt and blacken; clusters of bronze egg masses on leaf undersides Hand-pick adults and egg masses; place cardboard traps under plants overnight and destroy; neem oil or insecticidal soap on nymphs

Curled, sticky leaves; honeydew residue attracting sooty mould; stunted growing tips Blast off with a strong jet of water; introduce ladybirds or lacewings; spray insecticidal soap on dense colonies