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If you grow zucchini and squash, you’ve probably lost many plants over the years to squash vine borers. Well, at long last, here comes the calvary! I’d like to share the technique I’ve used to prevent squash vine borers organically in my own garden for years. It’s worked like a charm to keep these pesky, stem-hollowing insects from ruining my zucchini crop. Give it a try and report back with your results.
How to prevent squash vine borers organically in three simple steps.
Step 1: Immediately upon planting your squash seeds or transplants, cover the area with floating row cover or a layer of insect netting to keep the adult vine borers (see photo) from accessing the plants until they’re large enough for Step 2.
Step 2: When the plants have two to three sets of true leaves, remove the row cover and wrap a four-inch long strip of aluminum foil around the base of each plant. The strips should be between one and two inches wide. Wrap them snugly around the stems, making sure the foil extends below the soil’s surface by a quarter of an inch. The foil barrier will protect the weakest point of the plant and prevent female vine borers from laying their eggs in this vulnerable area. (You can also wrap the stem with florist’s tape, if you’d prefer to have something a little more natural-looking than foil.)
Step 3: Every two weeks, head out to the garden to make adjustments. As the squash stems expand, the foil will have to be rewrapped so the plant doesn’t become girdled. This step only takes a moment and is well worth your time. If you find the plant outgrows the foil, get a new strip that’s a little larger than the one before and rewrap the stem.
Our online course Organic Pest Control for the Vegetable Garden, provides even more information about managing pests using preventative methods such as the one described in this article. The course consists of a series of videos that total 2 hours and 30 minutes of learning time.
While the foil wrap controls squash vine borers, there’s another common and persistent pest that affects squash plants: the squash bug. If squash bugs are attacking your plants, this video will show you a clever little trick for getting rid of squash bug eggs and nymphs organically – using duct tape!
That’s all there is to preventing squash vine borers organically. So easy and so effective! 
Tell us how you deal with squash vine borers in the comments below.
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This was my first year with a garden & these nasty bugs, along with squash bugs, have completely destroyed my squash, zucchini & now pumpkins too. Will they be dormant in my soil (I have raised beds) or do they just come back each year when they find the right plants? Thanks!
They may hide in garden debris for the winter, so I suggest cleaning out your veggie garden in the autumn. Still, even with no debris, they will find your plants the following season if they’ve overwintered in the woods or a neighbor’s garden.
I wish I knew about those darn things before I planted my zucchini. I lost all 4 plants! :'( I’ll have to give your method a try next year.
I finally was able to put a garden in this year! I wish I had learned about these borers earlier as I was so sad to see all my zucchini plants had them. I am going to try to save some with the tips I learned here. Lesson learned to read up on pests earlier. Thanks for the information.
I will try it next year. I live in Michigan, the plants start great, but mid July, I see the damage. This year I tried the cup around the stems, didn’t work. I “operated” on the plants by removing the worms but I still lost many; some had 3 . Even the surviving plants are producing very little. I was thinking if electrocution works? Sounds mean but not any different 🙁
Hmmmm. Not sure how you would do that, but give it a try and let us know how it works out!
Can I plant chard or cauliflower in the soil where my SVB destroyed zucchini and squash were? Thank you in advance!
Great tips and ideas for next year. I’m losing the battle with SVBs this year.
Hi Ruth –
Yes you can plant chard or cauliflower in that same space. Those two crops cannot serve as host plants for squash vine borers.
I have inserted tooth picks in the stems above, below and around where the “saw dust” is seen from the borer. It has stopped the borer in his tracks, killing it without slicing open the stem. Saves the plants.
Its June 23rd and I just saw my first moth ! wanted to scream ! Tin foil and mosquito netting going on tomorrow !
That is genius. I hope I don’t have to use this trick, but I will if I need to! I just went out to check on the plants and saw 2 moths! I managed to kill one and I think seriously injure the other one.
Is there anything you can do to save the plant once the squash borer has attacked
You can slice open the stem lengthwise, fish out the borer and squish it, then wrap florists tape around the stem to hold it closed. That often works and keeps the plant alive and productive.
Thank you, Jessica. I just used this slice, fish, and wrap technique on six of my squash plants and am hoping they’ll survive. Thought I’d mention that there were sometimes 3 larvae in a single stem. Ugh, poor plants. Aluminum foil next year.
Has anyone tried using vaseline on the stems of the squash…and if so did it work at all?
The squash vine borer lays egg on the stems and leaves as well. I go out every morning and pick those eggs off. The squash bug lays multiple eggs in rows. They look like little barrels. Covering and picking is the only way to deter unless you buy a special pheromone trap. Expensive but I believe they work best.
Do u think mothballs around the stems would work?
I would not recommend this. Moth balls are made from napthalalene which is not approved for use around food and could contaminate your crops and soil. It’s a compound that’s also found in cigarette smoke and vehicle exhaust. Wouldn’t want that in the garden for sure.