why are my vines dying

Question

My Cantaloupe vines were doing fine. I had 4 melons that grew to about baseball size, then the leaves on the vines starting near
the roots started wilting and dying, which worked its way up the vine until the whole vine and melons were dried up and dead. WHY???

Answer 1

It sounds like you had a vine borer. They mostly affect squash plants, but they can affect melons as well. This article will explain how to fend them off in the future:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/squash/squash-pests-identifying-and-preventing-squash-vine-borer.htm