Pickleworm on cantaloupe
Cantaloupe is attacked but not preferred. In greenhouse choice tests cited by UF/IFAS, moths laid their eggs on squash over cantaloupe and watermelon, and UF/IFAS says pickleworm rarely attacks watermelon. On cantaloupe the larvae often seem reluctant to bore in and feed on the rind instead, leaving scars, hence the name rindworm. The nematode trick that works in squash blossoms does not carry over: UF/IFAS expects nematodes to fail in small, open cucurbit flowers, where sunlight kills them. Plant early, so part of the crop is picked before the moths arrive. Squash was proposed as a trap crop for cantaloupe in 1911, but a 1955 trial found it unsatisfactory.
At a glance
- Damage
- Holes in squash and cucumber fruit, flowers and vine tips
- Type
- Chewing
- Settings
- Field, Garden
- Threshold
- None published
- Ally
- Carabidae
- Rate
- Nothing to release — no natural enemy reliably suppresses it (UF/IFAS)
How to confirm it
A small round hole in squash, cucumber or cantaloupe fruit with frass pushed out of it, and caterpillars in the flowers and buds. Young larvae are pale with many dark spots. Full-grown larvae are about 1 inch (2.5 cm), unspotted, green to coppery, and turn coppery before pupating. The moth has a semi-transparent yellow centre to its wings, bordered with dark brown.
Identification, lifecycle, degree days and every control option are on the full Pickleworm profile. Not sure it is this pest? Answer four questions about the damage.