Pickleworms in Squash: Identification, Lifecycle, and Control

Those green worms inside your yellow squash? Pickleworms—larvae of a brownish-yellow night-flying moth. Females lay 300–400 eggs in clusters on buds and flowers. Young larvae bore into flower buds; older ones tunnel into fruit. They also attack cantaloupe, cucumber, and pumpkin.

Control Strategies

• Timing: Spray insecticide on individual fruit right after pollination (flower wilting by late afternoon), in evening when pollinators are gone.
• B.t. (Bacillus thuringiensis): Regular sprays help.
• Bagging: Especially effective for cantaloupe—cover young fruit with breathable bags.

Early, targeted action saves the harvest.

Pickleworm on cantaloupe (photo courtesy of www.mrsgreenthumb.com)