I just eradicated my da^@ squash vine borers this weekend. You can use a sharp knife to slit the vine lengthwise above the "entry wound" that the little buggers made to get into your vines. We used a bamboo skewer to then remove the borers from the vine - once you get one, keep looking - we always found another. Then mound new soil along the vine and to cover the slice you made. After three days, the plants are not showing any signs of distress from being sliced and they look a heck of a lot better than the ones we caught too late - those poor things will hopefully make nice compost.

I got this plan from Rodale's Insect and Disease control handbook or something like that. I assume they know what they're talking about. I hope this helps.

unfortunatly my zucchini is no more,alas I still have cucumbers peppers and tomatoes to look forward to...But next year Ill know what to look for and they wont have a chance... ]

Ed,
As for what is eating the leaves on your plants; have you looked on the underside of the leaves? If not there check on the base of the plant nearest the soil. Chances are it won't be a really big beatle or anything, probably a potato bug, they are small, about the size of a pinky finger nail and they are black and yellow stripped.
If you do not find anything at all on the plant turn over some rocks or logs or anything that is near the plants. What I have found is that if the bug is not around in the day time then it is a night time bug and in the day it will be under something waiting to eat my plants.

Ben.

this is what killed my zuke's http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/9981/zucchinikiller0hx.jpg as for my other plants the damage has stopped,whatever the culprit was its gone now so your guess would be as good as mine.Notice how well fed that zuke killer is...


Message was edited by: 1st timer

Slugs chew holes at night. Sneak out there with a flashlight. You can hand pick them, use an iron compound bait, trap them with beer or under a melon rind, shock them with a copper strip barrier, scratch them with diatomaceous earth or use any of the other methods posters here have used. If you do find it was slugs, you can do a site search for more details on how to control them. Another possibility is grasshoppers. If the damage is not severe, you could just let things be and see what happens.

I stopped borers this year, for the first time in many, by planting late and using a lightweight row cover until the squash flowered. I also sprayed the base of the plants with Bulls-eye bio-insecticide (Gardens Alive) when I uncovered them, in case a female borer was running late in the egg laying department.