BeneficialPicklewormNot recommended
Bt for pickleworm
Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki · microbial insecticide
Against pickleworm
UF/IFAS says Bt will kill pickleworm but is usually not recommended, because the larvae feed inside flowers and fruit where a stomach poison does not reach them. It works well on the related melonworm, which eats leaves in the open. For pickleworm, early planting, row cover at night and, in squash, the nematode Steinernema carpocapsae have better support.
RateNot recommended — no label we checked names pickleworm (DiPel DF lists melonworm and the rindworm complex)
Timing—
macro · bt (kurstaki) on pickleworm
The pestPicklewormDiaphania nitidalisHoles in squash and cucumber fruit, flowers and vine tipsFull pest profile →Before you order
A bacterium sprayed on leaves. Caterpillars that eat it stop feeding and die within a few days. It works only on the larvae of moths and butterflies, and has little or no effect on bees, lady beetles, lacewings or parasitic wasps. How it works, how to tell it has established and the supplier list are on the full Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki profile.
Other controls for pickleworm
- Steinernema carpocapsaeNematode · No published pickleworm rate in the sources checked; UF/IFAS cites a 1994 squash study without giving a dose
- Braconid waspsWild parasitoid · wild, attract it
- Ground beetlesWild predator · wild, attract it