Cucumber holes

[Hist]

Hi guys. It looks as if something is making holes into my cucumbers , when I break open the cucumber , a small area around where the hole was made , is light brown like it’s rotting. The rest of the fruit is perfectly fine. What might be causing this and can we eat the fruit or throw it away. Some holes are extreme like the Pic below and some holes are tiny going into the cucumber. thanks

 

[roadrunner]

I wonder if it's some type of stink bug? They get a few of my tomatoes every year, but I've also noticed them on other plants, including berry producers that I don't eat, but grow for the birds. A couple of examples are the Poke weed (Phytolacca americana) and American Nightshade (Solanum americanum).

 

[Chuck]

Hi guys. It looks as if something is making holes into my cucumbers , when I break open the cucumber , a small area around where the hole was made , is light brown like it’s rotting. The rest of the fruit is perfectly fine. What might be causing this and can we eat the fruit or throw it away. Some holes are extreme like the Pic below and some holes are tiny going into the cucumber. thanks

What you have are called pickleworms and they affect all cucurbits but squash seems to be their favorite. Here in Texas they are fairly common but by using preventative sprayings of spinosad and Bt they are fairly easy to control. They attack blooms and fruit which is the secret of how to control them. Watch your squash blooms closely. Sometimes they will attack buds. If you see one damaged start your spraying. A nondescript brown and white moth flies in at night and lays its eggs. The eggs hatch and the problem begins.

 

[Chuck]

I wonder if it's some type of stink bug? They get a few of my tomatoes every year, but I've also noticed them on other plants, including berry producers that I don't eat, but grow for the birds. A couple of examples are the Poke weed (Phytolacca americana) and American Nightshade (Solanum americanum).

What's making little tiny holes in your tomatoes are called tomato pinworms. The tiny holes are usually found on the shoulder of the tomato but can be located anywhere on the fruit. There is another common worm called the tomato fruitworm. He is a bit bigger than the pinworm and he enters your tomato at the stem. He is also the same culprit that eats your corn, the corn earworm. Stink bugs inject a chemical into the fruit and this chemical is what damages the fruit.

 

[Hist]

What you have are called pickleworms and they affect all cucurbits but squash seems to be their favorite. Here in Texas they are fairly common but by using preventative sprayings of spinosad and Bt they are fairly easy to control. They attack blooms and fruit which is the secret of how to control them. Watch your squash blooms closely. Sometimes they will attack buds. If you see one damaged start your spraying. A nondescript brown and white moth flies in at night and lays its eggs. The eggs hatch and the problem begins.

Thank you. When you say they attack blooms and fruit , and that’s the secret to control them , what do you mean ? Shall I check the blooms and the fruits to see if there are actual pickle worms moving around there ?

 

[Chuck]

Thank you. When you say they attack blooms and fruit , and that’s the secret to control them , what do you mean ? Shall I check the blooms and the fruits to see if there are actual pickle worms moving around there ?

Squash usually blooms before cucumbers. Have a squash plant and observe its blooms. Here in Texas the moth lays a single tiny little yellowish brown egg in different places and when they hatch the little tiny worm starts eating his way into the bud or bloom. The bloom when it opens will be deformed. This is when you KNOW that you have pickleworms. At this time is when you start to spray Bt. This will give you plenty of time with your cucumbers. You might lose a few blooms but you will save your cucumber crop. Keep a spray regimen of Bt until the moths stop flying usually about 3 weeks. Use Neem Oil alternately with the Bt to kill any eggs. Remember, you will never see the actual worm as he is inside of the bloom or the fruit. You must keep him from eating his way inside. The Bt kills the newly hatched worm before he can enter the fruit. Neem oil smothers the eggs.

 

[Hist]

Squash usually blooms before cucumbers. Have a squash plant and observe its blooms. Here in Texas the moth lays a single tiny little yellowish brown egg in different places and when they hatch the little tiny worm starts eating his way into the bud or bloom. The bloom when it opens will be deformed. This is when you KNOW that you have pickleworms. At this time is when you start to spray Bt. This will give you plenty of time with your cucumbers. You might lose a few blooms but you will save your cucumber crop. Keep a spray regimen of Bt until the moths stop flying usually about 3 weeks. Use Neem Oil alternately with the Bt to kill any eggs. Remember, you will never see the actual worm as he is inside of the bloom or the fruit. You must keep him from eating his way inside. The Bt kills the newly hatched worm before he can enter the fruit. Neem oil smothers the eggs.

Thank you. I used the BT , hopefully it gets better soon. I noticed this on the cucumber leaves the day after spraying , is it eggs of some insect or ? I noticed the same thing on one or two other plants as well as my banana leaves have it. All occurred within the last 2 days or so

 

[Chuck]

Thank you. I used the BT , hopefully it gets better soon. I noticed this on the cucumber leaves the day after spraying , is it eggs of some insect or ? I noticed the same thing on one or two other plants as well as my banana leaves have it. All occurred within the last 2 days or so

I don't think that is eggs. Looks more like bird droppings. And don't forget to use Neem too.