Buds and ripening fruit will have pinholes bored into them near the stem. The caterpillars are yellowish, gray, or green, purple spotted, and brown-headed. They burrow into the plant at the soil surface and hollow out the stalk or taproot above and below the entrance hole. This will cause the plant to wilt. The worms may also eat the roots off.
Aphids cluster on leaves, causing the leaves to curl and become distorted.
The soft-bodied, melon aphids range from pale green to greenish black or white to lemon colored. They suck sap from the plants and can transmit cucumber mosaic. Both wingless and winged adults develop on the plants. Spider Mites Spider mites are tiny almost microscopic pests that feed on the underside of leaves. They remove the sap, causing the leaves to become discolored.