GA: 2 zukes are wilting!!! SVB? ==> Update: No, not SQB!

Feels early for SVB but maybe not... I'll cut open the stems once they're fully gone, to see.

Update on August 1st:  Pulled one of those plants and inspected the stem -- not seeing any SVB evidence.  There was, however, a squash bug on it.  Pretty sure it was some type of disease, which is supported by the leaves not actually having gotten wilty as when it's SVB, but rather drying/dyring in a curled/crispy way.  Haven't pulled the second affected plant yet bec it's still hanging on for now...

GA: Oh no!!! A 2nd zuke lost! (presumably borer, but not pulling it quite yet) --> NOT the borer

Egads!!! The most productive plant has wilted!  This makes a second plant lost!  I'll leave it for a few days to finish ripening what it has.  I didn't check the stem closely because whatever (but will check it out when I pull it to see if it's SVB).

--> Update on August 1st 2025:  Pulled it today after harvesting its last two zucchinis.  There were some squash bugs on it, and found at least one or two borers in leaves/stems, but the main stem seemed clear of borers.  So, I'm guessing it died of some type of disease transmitted by the squash bugs and/or cucumber beetles, rather than SVB.

GA: Oh no!!!! A zuke plant looks struck by SVB already!?!?!?

Oh no!!! Can it be the SVB?!!  It feels like only a week or two that I took the cover off.  But overnight the plant is all wilty, not due to lack of water.  The strange thing is I can't find a point of entry on the stem.  Oh well, I'll wait until it's totally kaput, then will have a closer look when I pull it out.

So many bees loving the scallopini flowers! SVB seen resting on a scallopini!

So many bees loving the scallopini flowers!  That's a fun part with not covering!

Saw a SVB resting on a scallopini leaf!  Not going to bother inspecting for eggs, especially since these are all show, no grow.

SVB finally took down the never-tulled zuke by hydro meter

Wow, I'm impressed the plant lasted this long, never having been tulled.  But this morning it was suddenly wilted -- inspection found at least one SVB.  Got one last zuke off it this morning -- it was a good run.

Gradually removing tulles from zukes

As of today, removed the tulle from the two central bed zukes.  I had previously removed the tulle from the one remaining potted zuke.

Just because it's the end of the season soon, so que sera sera with the borer.

The zuke that was un-tulled all season still looks great -- no sign of SVB yet

I mean, I'm positive there must be eggs (haven't been checking for them), and so there must be baby borers happening... but so far so good, and it's looking amazing after a slow start -- so big and bushy and producing nicely.

First SVB seen (but I'm sure they've been around before)

Saw two at once today, from a distance, so didn't notice if they laid any eggs...  Given last year's success with the tulle, I'm not too worried... (fingers crossed).

However, if the potted one next to the central bed gets taken down, it will be no surprise, as multiple times the too-small piece of tulle has had gaps.

138 (!!!!) zucchinis harvested this year! (final one was yesterday)

A record year for me!  That's 138 zucchinis out of a total of 8 or 9 plants (3 or 4 of which were late starts).  It would have been a few more had I not been away camping when the first ones flowered.

That's 15 to 17 zucchinis per plant!

The freezer is certainly well stocked with zucchini soups and sauces.

The varieties were Golden Glory and Eight Ball.  I loved them both, they both seemed to do equally well.

The 7 tulled zucchinis had zero issues with SVB.  Will definitely tulle most of my zukes again in future years.

SVB found inside the last of the zucchini plants (pulled today)

Since the plant was clearly killed by frost overnight, pulled it out.  Actually was going to leave the root in the ground to decompose, but when I cut the vine lo and behold there was a borer grub inside.  So, pulled the whole plant out.  Found a second borer (a big one) and there may have been more, I didn't check too closely.

This would explain why the plant hadn't done much lately.

This plant was one of the few zucchinis that were never tulled, so it's not surprising.  Actually it's more surprising that it lasted this long.

SVB moth seen laying eggs (on untulled zukes), including on top of leaves

Watched her for a few minutes, followed along removing eggs where I could.

Also, noticed one of the leaves in the tulled zucchini in the west bed (south pair), has a little reddish dot on top of a leaf that isn't touching the netting.  I don't think it's a SVB egg, but, am not totally sure.  Will try to keep an eye on it.

SVB worms (tiny) found in several leaf stems of the un-tulled a/c zucchini

I had been occasionally checking for / removing eggs, but not religiously (because, 60-something zucchinis and counting, so far...).  Had a closer look today at some bruised / dying / dead leaves -- removed them and inspected, and sure enough, found several itty bitty teeny tiny wormies in there.

My guess is some have by now made it into the main stem.  I won't interfere with those, will leave them be.

So far this plant has given me 1 zucchini.  (The first one on it had fizzled, but the second one took.)  I think it will give a few more before the SVB zap it.

Haven't found any worms yet in the two smaller central-bed untulled zucchinis.  (Nor in any of the tulled zucchinis though I don't look closely at the tulled ones.)

No SVB eggs found on the untulled zukes in ~ a week (but won't remove the tulle)

2 (and a half) zukes are untulled (late-starts) and I haven't found any SVB eggs in a while.  However, last year I found eggs as late as mid-August, so definitely will keep the tulle in place.

One of the tulled zukes had the tulle up against stem!!! Wonder of SVB will have gotten it

Noticed today while watering that in the west bed, the north one of the south pair, the tulle was right up against the stem.  So, a SVB could definitely have come along and laid an egg on the stem through the tulle...  I didn't see any eggs, but maybe one already hatched...  Anyway, all this to say, if this plant ends up succumbing to the SVB, I suspect this will be why.

Latest-start zucchini (PT June 7th) has first female open!

The Eight Ball in the hose bed, which I started in PT June 7th, is looking great and this morning the first female opened.  Found a bee in the flower but I also hand-pollinated since who knows if that bee found any males zukes.  

At planting time, I gave this plant 1 Tbsp mrp and 1 Tbsp kelp meal. 

This is 45 days from sow to first female.  So, I imagine it will be 50 days to first harvest -- which Google tells me is right on par.

I've been finding SVB eggs on this plant and have been trying to remove them, but being out in the open I'm sure that will be this plant's demise.  Will see how long it can go though.

SVB FOY -- removed 10 eggs from the one untulled zuke (hydro bed) -- Kaolin didn't deter SVB moth

Ah, so kaolin wasn't effective in keeping the SVB from laying her eggs on the one untulled zuke.  Found and removed 10 eggs from this plant today.

SVB frass -- BTK'd a zucchini

Clearly frass in two spots of the stem of one of the older zucchinis in the central bed.

Decided to try to save it.  Applied BTK in both holes.

SVB eggs found on ronde

I have not been checking for SVB eggs whatsoever, but happened to see several while looking at the air conditioner ronde today.  Removed the ones I saw but wasn't actively searching the out so quite likely more eggs on it.

Confirms what I thought, that the SVB moths are still egg laying well into August.

Removed cucumbers (diseased) and several more zucchinis (unproductive / clutter re: rat)

The cucumbers had a great run, huge harvest so I can't complain that the vines have been dying in the past few weeks, looks like some kind of disease (maybe what they had last year?  haven't compared photos).  So I removed them completely today, along with a final harvest of cucumbers.

Removed all 3 of the remaining zucchini plants in the north bed.  None of them had ever produced anything nor looked like they would do anything, plus today I noticed a tunnel where a rat dug near the compost bin, so I did a big clean-up / decluttering of that area.  Maybe SVB sign in one, but not the others though  I didn't look all that closely.

First loss to SVB

The ronde in the central bed that never produced anything.  Noticed today there was really nothing coming in at all, so inspected more closely, and sure enough the stem was all eaten through.  Removed.