What's eating my cheese pumpkin?

Cheese pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata 'Long Island Cheese') has a notable advantage — its moschata genetics give it partial resistance to squash vine borers compared to pepo types. That said, squash bugs, cucumber beetles, and aphids still pose real threats. Deer and raccoons are attracted to the distinctive flat fruit as it ripens in late autumn.

Egg clusters on leaf undersides; nymphs and adults suck sap; leaves yellow and wilt in patches; heavy infestations can kill young plants. Scout and remove egg masses every few days; hand-pick adults; use boards as overnight traps; insecticidal soap on nymphs; clean up debris at season end.

Flower and leaf feeding; bacterial wilt transmission kills plants; adults overwinter in soil and emerge at transplant time. Floating row covers until pollination; yellow sticky traps; kaolin clay spray; pyrethrin for high populations.

Colonies on new shoots; Cucumber mosaic virus transmission distorts leaves and reduces yield; honeydew encourages sooty mold. Reflective mulch; strong water jet; insecticidal soap; parasitic wasp habitat (nearby flowering plants such as dill or sweet alyssum).

Stem tunneling and wilting, though moschata types suffer less severely than pepo or maxima; can still kill vines in high-pressure areas. Stem wrapping still advisable in eastern US; bury vine nodes to create insurance roots; Bt injection if borers detected.