This species feeds primarily on squash and pumpkin, and occasionally on other cucurbits, such as cucumber, watermelon and cantaloupe.
The larva is a wrinkled white caterpillar with a brown head, three pairs of short legs, and five pairs of inconspicuous prolegs on the abdomen.
The borer tunnels through stems, disrupting the flow of water and nutrients. Damage first appears as sudden wilting of a long runner or an entire plant, even though the plants may be well watered. Closer examination reveals masses of course, greenish yellow excrement which the borer has pushed out from the stem. Squash vine borers enter vines near the soil line and feed on inner tissues.
Utilize crop rotation and early planting. Insecticides are useless once the borer has penetrated a vine stem. If only parts of a vine are affected, try to save the remaining crop by cutting away the wilting portions. If you notice frass around a hole, slit the vine near the hole to locate and destroy the borer. Or try to kill the borers by injecting Bacillus thuringiensis into stems with a syringe. After harvest, pull up old vines, destroy crop debris, and till the soil to kill resting pupae.