You would think that cucumbers (which can become pickles) are the pickleworms' favorite food but they aren't. Their favorite is squash. The only time you will find a pickleworm in the cucumbers is when there isn't any squash nearby.

The pickleworm starts out its life as a little larvae on a flower of a squash or cucumber plant. When it is about half grown it goes to the fruit on the plant to make a new home for a while. With it in the fruit, there is a greater chance of the fruit fouling. After a few days in the fruit, the pickleworm leaves to make its cocoon on a wilted leaf. From then on it leads its life as a harmless adult.

You can find the Pickleworm living in the American South during the summer. However, the only place to find it in the winter is in southern Florida because it needs warm temperatures to survive.