Tuesday, August 5, 2008

All is not well on the cucmber vine

I have to take Stewie to the vet this morning for his annual check-up and "fecal float." So, I went to the gym and came home to check email before suiting the little man up for his big trip. On my way into the house, I stopped by the garden to see if any cucumbers were ready for picking. I spotted one cuke that was still very small and spiny but dark green and seemed to be fully formed (no more tapering end). I grabbed it to pull it off the vine, and it cracked open, revealing a worm burrowed inside with hundreds of horrible eggs or worm poop; I can't tell the difference. After almost throwing up in my mouth and washing my hands repeatedly with soap, I did some research and discovered that this is most likely a pickleworm, well known for destroying cucumber crops in North Carolina. Awesome. Pictured below, some blurry photos of the offending cuke (I was too disgusted to get any closer, or to touch it again) and a very odd-looking yellowy translucent cucumber still hanging on the vine that is probably afflicted by some other kind of horrible disease or pestilence.