A Bore, black head, white body<\/figcaption><\/figure>If you cut out a section ahead of the rot, you will find the bore inside the stem\u00a0 however, depending on the length of time the bore has had to eat, you may have to cut farther along to find the bore.<\/p>
Two options can act as preventatives.\u00a0 One is to cover the base of the stem with mulch and prevent the winged adult from laying an egg on the stalk at the<\/p>
base of the plant.\u00a0 An egg hatches in about 2 weeks and the bore drills a small hole (hard to see) into the stem and dines at leisure away from prying eyes.<\/p>
The second option is to wrap the base of the stem, from 8 to 10 inches along, in one layer of aluminum foil or with a piece of row cover.<\/p>
You can cover the whole plant in a row cover, but remember to uncover for\u00a0<\/p>