Subject: Flying
Geographic location of the bug: Central New Jersey
Date: 07/06/2018
Time: 05:44 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: New to me. Hovering around my zucchini.
How you want your letter signed: Nancy K in NJ
Dear Nancy,
The Squash Vine Borer is a moth that mimics a wasp for protection. The female lays her eggs on the stems of zucchini, squash, melon or cucumber plants and the larvae bore in the stems, sometimes killing the plants. According to Featured Creatures: “The larvae complete their growth and development on wild and domesticated species of the genus Cucurbita. This insect was once considered a nuisance to commercial growers and a problem to home growers of cucurbits. However, with the expansion of cucurbit production in the United States (U.S.) over the last decade, the squash vine borer has become a pest of economic importance (Brust 2010).”