Insect Pests

Pickleworms leave telltale entrance holes where they burrow into the fruit. - Alton N. Sparks Jr., University of Georgia, www.insectimages.org

Pickleworms have brown heads and bodies that change from creamy to spotted to green or copper as they age. Full-grown worms are about 3/4 of an inch long. - Alton N. Sparks Jr., University of Georgia, www.insectimages.org

Pickleworms are tropical caterpillars that ruin summer squash, their favorite meal, by burrowing into and feeding inside the fruit. They also attack cucumbers, cantaloupes, and pumpkins, while winter squash and watermelons are rarely damaged. On cantaloupe they are called "rindworms" because they feed on the surface of the tough-skinned melon, causing only scarring.

Pickleworms spend winter in frost-free parts of Florida and perhaps Texas. The infestation creeps northward through spring to late summer, following the warm weather.

The caterpillars may tunnel in flowers, buds, and stems, but most often move to the fruits. Sometimes you'll see their "frass" or waste coming out of small holes in damaged fruits, but sometimes the entrance hole or damage isn't noticed until you harvest and cut the fruit.

Because they are protected inside the fruit, it is nearly impossible to kill pickleworms. The best way to beat them is to choose early maturing varieties and plant as early as possible because infestations are worst on late-planted crops as the insects move north. If you find them, destroy damaged fruit and crush rolled sections of leaves where the pupae hide.