July 15, 2016 - zucchini stem borer issue

Just back on July 9 the zucchini looked very healthy and was still yielding fruit but on July 11 it was obvious that something had changed. Some of the leaves now looked like they were wilting although it was still on the same watering schedule and the temperatures had been normal. Best I've been able to determine is that it had a stem borer. Since then the fruit has stopped growing and now appears stunted. If it is a stem borer, then there is little hope that the plant will survive. I'm going to give it until Sunday but I really don't expect it to improve at all.

The good news is that its crook-neck summer squash neighbor is still going gangbusters. We've been pulling at least one fruit if not more a day and they have been fantastic. It wouldn't hurt to provide more space for the remaining plants in the box anyway.
Apparently the only way to deal with the issue is to proactively spray either Malathion or Sevin on the plant as a prophylactic measure - i.e. when the plant is first growing. I'm not planning to use any insecticides and certainly not as a preventative measure and even more certainly not Sevin. As we should continue to have more than enough squash and, soon, beans and tomatoes, I think we'll survive this and will just have to hope for the best next summer.