What's eating my miniature pumpkin?

Miniature pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) share the full cucurbit pest complex. Squash vine borers tunnel into stems causing sudden wilt; squash bugs devastate foliage in colonies. Cucumber beetles transmit bacterial wilt. Powdery mildew typically hits in late summer as fruit sets. Deer and groundhogs will raid the vines and fruit in rural gardens.

Sudden vine collapse; frass at stem base; internal tunneling by orange-and-white caterpillars. Wrap stem bases at transplant; row covers until pollination; inject Bt into damaged stems; bury secondary vine nodes to develop new roots.

Egg masses on leaf undersides hatch into sap-sucking nymphs; leaves turn yellow then brittle; large colonies kill whole vines. Destroy egg masses daily; hand-pick into soapy water; remove plant debris at season end; insecticidal soap on nymphs.

Chewing on flowers and leaves; bacterial wilt infection via feeding wounds causes sudden irreversible plant death. Floating row covers until female flowers open; sticky traps; pyrethrin spray in heavy infestations.

Large ragged bites taken from leaves, stems, and developing fruit; entire vines may be stripped overnight. Fence the plot with minimum 6-foot deer fencing or a 3-foot wire fence buried 12 inches for groundhogs; motion-activated deterrents for deer.