June 29, 2021
Master Gardeners share information which is one of the perks about becoming a Master Gardener. Beverly wrote this email to me recently and knowing how devastating it is to have your squash plants devoured by pests like the squash vine borer, I wanted to send this on to you.
Ann, it may be too much information in more ways than one but do you think readers would like a follow up on the squash borers? I read advice to slice the affected stem to remove borer larvae and did that for the first time today. Sharon Law Wright and I were picking blackberries and checking on the plants in the north garden today and noticed frass on the kuri squash. The stem had a large opening. We opened it further with sharp secateurs and found the borer easily. One squash plant that I replanted in the Edible Landscape after removing borer damage has survived. We did the same thing with the otherwise healthy kuri squash today.
Beverly Allen, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2018
DALLAS GARDEN BUZZ 
This can be a tedious way to deal with these pests, but my sister has been using this method for years to extend the life of the squash plants in her large garden in Lancaster.