The pickleworm is the most destructive insect pest of cucumbers, summer squash and cantaloupes in North Carolina. For many years, it was unprofitable to grow cucumbers in mid or late season because of this pest.
Technology exists that clearly demonstrates that a fall crop of cucumbers can be grown profitably.
It is essential, however, to carry out an intensive monitoring program and a rigid treatment program using the proper insecticides, obtaining good coverage and following a 5 to 7 day schedule. Although cucumbers are severly damaged some years, squash appears to be the preferred and favorite host. Squash flowers, furit and small plants become heavily infested while adjacent cucumber flowers and fruit may remain clean. Thus, squash has been used as a trap crop to attract moths as a detection tool as well as to saturate with insecticide. We are presently developing a sex pheromone monitoring system that will use a septa, the Harstack wirescreen trap and a forecasting network.