Something Ate a Hole in My Melon, Should I Harvest It?

Examine the Hole

• If the hole in your melon is very big and could have been created by squirrels or birds, you should throw the melon out. There is no way for you to know if the animal that got into your melon was healthy, and you do not want to take any chances. Look for teeth marks. If the hole in your melon is tiny, and you suspect it was caused by a bug, the melon may still be safe to eat.

Check for Ripeness

• Once something has exposed the flesh of your melon to the air, the melon will rot faster. If the melon is ripe and something made a hole in it, you may still be able to harvest and eat the melon before it rots. If the melon is not ripe yet, it will rot before you can eat it.

Look Inside the Hole

• Sometimes insects will bore holes into melons so they can lay eggs inside them. Slice the melon open around the hole, and examine it closely. If you can see eggs, larvae, or tiny worms, throw out the melon. If it appears as though something has just lightly nibbled your melon, you can still eat the melon if you cut off and throw out the part that was exposed.

Avoid Pesticide

• With the understanding that you would discard the rind, you may have sprayed your melon with pesticide to prevent anything from trying to eat it. However, if you sprayed the melon with pesticide after something had burrowed a hole, then you have exposed the flesh of the melon to pesticide. You must throw out the melon, since there is no way to tell how long the hole has been present.