Squash vine borer info

I had a comment from Dawn, an avid follower of mine ;-):

"I've always wondered how do those kinds of bugs find the plants that they love the most? Are they native to your yard? B/c then wouldn't you have every kind of bug there just waiting for you to plant their plant specialty? I mean, where do they come from??"

Isn't it crazy that out of all those plants in my garden, they are able to hone in on just the one they need? Your comment cracked me up, because I can just imagine a line of bugs in my backyard, twiddling their thumbs, waiting for me to bring out their favorite meal.

Here's a link for some more info on the squash vine borer. It wouldn't let me paste a URL in the comment box for some reason.

Squash vine borer

This is talking about Kentucky, but it's pretty much the same for Texas.

I also read in the Texas Organic Vegetable Gardening book that this is mostly a problem for home gardeners - not so much for big squash farmers. Maybe the use of pesticides?

This might be a better answer to your question:

How do insects find the right plant?

I learned something new today.

Oh, and for some reason, I just can't have a regular post without a picture in it. It doesn't feel right. So here is M, checking out the small pumpkins that are starting to develop on his pumpkin vine (which is free from vine borers!)