Could A Yellow Bowl Be The Unexpected Hack To Trap Squash Vine Borers?

Gardening can be an extremely rewarding experience for many. It can help you supplement your groceries, provide fresh produce you are in control of from start to finish, and it can be relaxing. Unless, of course, you experience one of the worst garden pests you'll want to banish from your garden immediately: squash vine borers. These little critters can decimate a squash bed seemingly overnight. The larvae tunnel into the squash vine, leaving behind a material called frass, which blocks the flow of water through a plant. While most gardeners will opt to wrap the stems of their squash or use a floating row cover, it can be extremely tedious and unreliable. There is a new hack making the rounds among organic gardeners that has shown some promise using a yellow bowl and some dish soap. The adult squash vine borer moths are attracted to the yellow (thinking it's a flower), fly into the soapy water, and drown.

Getting rid of these pests is the first step in growing a healthy garden and can ensure you have a plentiful harvest. Squash vine borers can not only be damaging on their own, but they can also leave plants susceptible to secondary infections. The sure sign of a potential infestation is the sudden wilting of leaves when checking plants. Fortunately, you can use the low-maintenance method of a yellow bowl trap to get rid of these annoying bugs.

To make this trap, grab a shallow yellow bowl (plastic or ceramic will do). Fill it with water and add a couple drops of dish soap — just enough to cut the surface tension. Place your trap near your squash plants in full sun, you want it to be visible to the moths. If you don't have a yellow bowl, no problem, just wrap your container in yellow tape or you can spray paint it (if you don't mind altering it).

The key to decreasing the odds of your plants getting attacked is prevention. The best time to set this trap is before your squash flowers have bloomed because this is usually when squash vine borers are starting to become active. You can also pair this hack with other methods of prevention like crop rotation, bringing good insects into your garden, and removing unhealthy vines and leaves. This yellow bowl trap isn't a magic bullet, but it's a cheaper, more organic method to fight off these pests.