SVB and Gorilla Glue

Stvrob · June 6, 2016

I have been experimenting with using polyurethane glue to kill squash vine borers.
instead of carving up the whole stem trying to track down where they are, I will ream out the hole (edit...the hole made by the SVB) with a pen knife and clean it out the best I can. Then I will squirt in a healthy amount of Gorilla glue into the hole and immediately tape up the hole with several tight wraps of electrical tape. My thought is that as the foam expands it will fill the tunnel and encapsulate the SVB. The tape over the whole confines the glue and should increase the pressure inside the stem. After a few hours I remove the tape.

I think I'm stopping the SVB's dead in their tracks before they grow big enough to cause serious damage.

dmforcier · June 6, 2016

So you say it's working? What an innovative solution! (That's not a word I use casually.)

I wonder if it would do as well without the tape. How deep are the holes?

Stvrob · June 6, 2016

I will keep it up and report back. I just did 3 this morning; hard to be sure its working until more time has gone by.

I've just been reaming out their existing holes and cleaning it up with a knife point. I probably should have been more clear, I'm reaming out the hole the SVB has made, not creating a new one. You could skip the tape I suppose, but then the foam would come out the hole which might defeat the purpose.

PhilaGardener · June 6, 2016

Creative idea - the followup will tell! Please keep us posted!

jmsieglaff · June 7, 2016

Steve it is a neat idea. How far does the foam expand upward on the squash vine? I imagine you could tell by shining a flashlight to the vine at night and seeing the difference in light transmittance if it was too difficult to tell during the day.

Stvrob · June 8, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmsieglaff

Steve it is a neat idea. How far does the foam expand upward on the squash vine? I imagine you could tell by shining a flashlight to the vine at night and seeing the difference in light transmittance if it was too difficult to tell during the day.

Good idea! I'll look tonight to see if it leaves a shadow

jmsieglaff · July 27, 2016

Steve, how did the Gorilla glue work out?

June 6, 2016	#1
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	SVB and Gorilla Glue I have been experimenting with using polyurethane glue to kill squash vine borers. instead of carving up the whole stem trying to track down where they are, I will ream out the hole (edit...the hole made by the SVB) with a pen knife and clean it out the best I can. Then I will squirt in a healthy amount of Gorilla glue into the hole and immediately tape up the hole with several tight wraps of electrical tape. My thought is that as the foam expands it will fill the tunnel and encapsulate the SVB. The tape over the whole confines the glue and should increase the pressure inside the stem. After a few hours I remove the tape. I think I'm stopping the SVB's dead in their tracks before they grow big enough to cause serious damage. Last edited by Stvrob; June 6, 2016 at 07:31 PM. Reason: Clarification

June 6, 2016	#3
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	I will keep it up and report back. I just did 3 this morning; hard to be sure its working until more time has gone by. I've just been reaming out their existing holes and cleaning it up with a knife point. I probably should have been more clear, I'm reaming out the hole the SVB has made, not creating a new one. You could skip the tape I suppose, but then the foam would come out the hole which might defeat the purpose. Last edited by Stvrob; June 6, 2016 at 07:28 PM.

June 6, 2016	#2
dmforcier Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,825	So you say it's working? What an innovative solution! (That's not a word I use casually.) I wonder if it would do as well without the tape. How deep are the holes?

June 6, 2016	#4
PhilaGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Near Philadelphia, PA Posts: 1,940	Creative idea - the followup will tell! Please keep us posted!

June 7, 2016	#5
jmsieglaff Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Southern WI Posts: 2,742	Steve it is a neat idea. How far does the foam expand upward on the squash vine? I imagine you could tell by shining a flashlight to the vine at night and seeing the difference in light transmittance if it was too difficult to tell during the day.

July 27, 2016	#7
jmsieglaff Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Southern WI Posts: 2,742	Steve, how did the Gorilla glue work out?