Melon worms are elongate greenish larvae with darker head that cause severe feeding damage to vines and fruit of most melons. Closely related to the pickle worm that attack cucumbers. In areas that never receive frost (southern Texas and Florida), melon worms may be a year round problem.
Can watermelon have worms?
Rindworm is a general term referring to a number of insect larvae that feed on the surface of watermelon fruit. The most common culprits are the larvae of the cucumber beetle or corn rootworm. These larvae live in the soil and feed on the underside of the developing melon.
How do you control Melonworms?
In insecticide-free cucurbit production and in home gardens, melonworm can cause serious damage. In addition to conventional synthetic insecticides, the botanical material neem and the biological insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis are effective for melonworm control.
Can you vermicompost watermelon?
Composting worms like soft food. The softer the better. Things like vegetable scraps, especially squashes, and non-citrus fruits are fine for composting worms. They’re also very fond of sweet foods like watermelon rinds.
Can bugs get inside watermelon?
Boring Bugs
Pests tunnel into watermelon fruit or feed on foliage, potentially leading to major crop loss.
What kind of bugs eat watermelon?
Pickleworm and melonworm rarely attack watermelon. The principal insect and mite pests on watermelons in Florida are aphids, rindworms (caterpillars feeding on the rind, including beet and fall armyworms, cabbage looper, tobacco budworm, corn earworm, saltmarsh caterpillar, and others), whiteflies, and thrips.
How do you protect watermelon from worms?
Bird Netting
Make sure that you buy enough netting to fully cover your watermelon plants. Watermelon vines are prone to sprawling, so you need enough netting to cover a wide area. Use this bird and insect netting to protect your watermelons from all manners of pests.
What kills Pickleworms?
Bacillus thuringiensis will kill pickleworm, but is usually not recommended because the internal feeding behavior puts the feeding larvae beyond the reach of a stomach-active toxin.
What do pickle worms turn into?
This is where pupae hide and then emerge as adult moths, ready to repeat the pickleworm lifecycle. Spray plants with an approved insecticide.
Can I bury watermelon rinds in my garden?
Watermelon rind benefits are many, and even after you have finished eating the watermelon, the rind can be composted, providing additional nutrients, moisture, and nitrogen for your compost pile. They are contributing to the final compost and subsequently the garden and plants.
What worms dont eat?
They will eat most normal kitchen fruit and vegetable scraps. Avoid feeding the worms large quantities of meat, citrus, onions and dairy foods. Some processed food also contains preservatives, which discourage the worms from eating it.
What foods do worms not like?
What To Not Feed Worms
- Meats, bones, fat and anything oily or greasy.
- Dairy products including butter, sour cream, milk, whole eggs (egg shells are ok) and cheese.
- Canned sauces, peanut butter and other processed food.
- Citrus foods like lemons, limes and oranges.
- Onions and garlic.
- Spicy foods such as hot peppers.
How do you get rid of watermelon bugs?
Use Soap Solutions
Soap solutions are an all-purpose way to get rid of numerous types of garden pests, including aphids on watermelon plants. Mix 1 tablespoon of liquid castille soap in 1 gallon of water, shake it well and spray all leaf surfaces, including the undersides of the leaves.
How do you get rid of melon bugs?
Spray melon vines with a strong jet of water from your hose. This action is often enough to kill the majority of melon aphids, as well as small pests such as thrips and mites, that feed on the melon stems and foliage.
Why are there holes in my watermelon?
Well, it means that your growing watermelons may not be getting properly pollinated or that seeds are dying during development.
How many watermelons do you get per plant?
The number of vines determines how many watermelons there are per plant as each vine can produce between two to four melons during the growing season. Watermelons grow best in a planting site that has a lot of open space. Watermelon vines ramble, so your plants are going to spread out around your garden as they grow.
How do you increase watermelon fruit size?
To maximize the size of the melon, water the plants regularly in deep water sessions that keep the soil moist. Side dress the Watermelon plants with fertilizer prepared for edible crops or fertilizer tea to feed the plants. Fertilizer encourages growth to produce large melons.
What do you spray on watermelon?
Chlorothalonil and mancozeb protect against gummy stem blight, downy mildew, and anthracnose; chlorothalonil also protects against powdery mildew. The spring program is designed to manage bacterial fruit blotch, bacterial leaf spot, gummy stem blight, powdery mildew, anthracnose, and downy mildew on watermelon.
How often should water watermelon plants?
Watering 1–2 times each week works best for healthy watermelon plants. Aim to keep the soil evenly moist at all times—not too dry and not too wet. Give your young watermelon vines 2 inches (5 cm) of water every week. Decrease water to 1 inch (2.5 cm) weekly once fruit sets on the vines.
Should I trim my watermelon vines?
Pruning watermelons promotes healthier vines and increases fruit size. Look for irregular or rotting fruit to prune from the plant. Removing the less than perfect melons will enable the plant to focus energy towards growing bigger, healthier, juicier melons.
Why are my baby watermelons rotting?
Blossom rot in watermelons is caused by a lack of calcium, but simply adding more calcium isn’t going to help the situation. More often than not, watermelon blossom end rot occurs when water levels are fluctuating during fruit initiation.