Ive done it and it works. The problem is the ones you miss. The best bet you’re going to make is to use some pvc pipe or aluminum foil around the main stem of the plant and bi-weekly spraying a bacillus thurungiensis (BT), which is an OMRI listed organic biological control. It’s a bacteria that once eaten by the larvae, gets into their gut and kills them. BT must be in place the entire time you have borers laying eggs and hatching. You should also use a row cover to protect the plant from the moth landing on it to begin with. You can do all of this, plus plant a sacrificial plant without protections and let them have that one, but still spray it with BT so it at least kills the larvae before the come out and burrow into the soil.
You can also plant beneficial pollen plants nearby and leave them in place to give the pollinators a habitat to live in.
