Though the thought of growing your own fruits and vegetables
seems idyllic, it is rarely a trouble-free endeavor. Weather,
insects, animals, bacteria, viruses, and funguses can all wreak
havoc with a garden, sometimes causing small amounts of damage
and other times causing a total crop loss. This year the cold
wet spring weather slowed our summer garden; rabbits, chipmunks,
and birds have all done some serious damage; and this week we
lost our battle with squash vine borers, a pest that frustrates
gardeners, farmers, and commercial growers. They have pretty
much killed off our squash and have now found the sweet pumpkin
vines. Something else, probably cucumber beetles, are killing
off the cucumber plants, too. Squash Vine Borers (Photo from
Wikipedia) Squash vine borers are moths that are active during
the daytime, flying around the plants and laying eggs on leaf
stalks and vines. The hatched larvae bore into plant stems and
feed for up to 30 days on the plant before moving into the soil
to pupate. The pupas